Love Hina - Kyoshiro no Tenchuu
by cipherknight
Summary: Before he was a Tokyo U aspirant, he was the Decennial Imperial Tournament champion. Before he became a landlord, he was the displaced heir to a now massacred clan. Before he was Keitaro Urashima, he was Kyoshiro Mononobe. For his family's murder, he has sworn the worst vengeance...Tenchuu. First fanfic. Dark themes (rated M to be safe), Pairings unknown, possibly Harem
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Greetings one and all! Cipherknight here! I'd like to welcome you to my first ever fanfiction, the result of finally growing a pair and pursuing a fiction idea I've had for years. Forgive it if its a little rough, it is the first time I've done something like this. But all constructive criticisms will be welcome, flames, however, will be subject to an experiment to see if liquid nitrogen can freeze fire...you've been warned. P.S. - from now on, any A/Ns I write will be at the end of the chapter. This was just for the sake of introduction.

**Disclaimer -** Love Hina is the property of Ken Akamatsu and I claim no ownership of its characters, settings, or plotlines

_**Prologue: It was meant to bring peace…**_

_Sengoku Jidai. A time of great change, of great upheaval…and of even greater violence. For almost two centuries, the nation of Japan caught within the intense turmoil amongst the many powerful clans throughout the country; some rose to great heights, while others fell. Near the end of this period, after the death of the powerful Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ascended to claim his late liege lord's many lands and continue his mission of unifying the nation. Allied to him was the Tachibana clan, a family of assassins and medical geniuses renowned for their abilities in stealth and medicine/poisons. All throughout Hideyoshi's rule, from 1587 to 1598, the Tachibana acted as the guardians and protectors of the Toyotomi clan, and enjoyed fame and royalties the likes of which few would ever know. They were also greatly feared, due to the bloodthirsty nature of their clansmen… A fear that was cemented when a few of the more prominent members of the Tachibana participated in the infamous crucifixion of the twenty-six Christians. It was an act that would forever associate the Tachibana with relentless bloodshed and cruelty._

_Eventually, the Toyotomi fell from power, with Hideyoshi's failed attempts to invade Korea and China leaving his clan and the clans under him with severely depleted funds and a terribly weakened military position. After his death in 1598, the Toyotomi clan leadership passed to Hideyoshi's son, Hideyori. However, Hideyoshi's Council of Five began arguing amongst themselves regarding who had a claim to more power. The Tachibana, who were charged with Hideyori's care, did their best to continue safeguarding the young heir during this uprising. Ieyasu Tokugawa, one of the five elders, eventually emerged as a powerful threat to the Toyotomi's continued rule. Allied under him were several fearsome clans, including the vaunted Urashima clan, and the infantile Mononobe clan, a branch of the Urashima. The Urashima were well known in the political circles of feudal Japan for many years, and the Mononobe were said to be powerful warriors known for their arms forging and nigh-unsurpassable swordsmanship abilities._

_Throughout the conflict, the Tachibana and Mononobe fought many battles in the name of their liege lords. The rivalry developed between the two was fierce, and as Ieyasu claimed more and more victories, the Tachibana grew ever more desperate to destroy the Mononobe, who were the backbone of Ieyasu's forces. The bloody campaign came to a head on 16 October, 1600: The Battle of Sekigahara. Refusing to acknowledge the true abilities of their rivals, the Tachibana stormed the battlefield, completely assured of their victory. Their cockiness would be their undoing, as the Mononobe's fighting ability and tactical expertise gave them the advantage they needed to crush the numerically superior Tachibana. Tokugawa's victory at Sekigahara paved the way for his shogunate, and upon consolidating his power, he rewarded the Mononobe by bestowing them with the appointment of Guardians of the Shogunate, a position previously held by the Tachibana under the Toyotomi's rule. The Urashima clan were also rewarded by becoming Tokugawa's political councilors. While the Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Edo Period, was a time of peace, behind the scenes a war still raged. Infuriated by their fall from grace, the Tachibana began a blood feud with the Mononobe that endured for centuries. The Urashima clan tried to act as mediatiors, however the tenacity of the Tachibana rendered all attempts at making peace useless._

_It was not until the end of the Edo period that the feuding clans were forced to place their personal war on hold. In the 1860s, the Urashima clan observed the declining state of the shogunate, and slowly began distancing themselves from the Tokugawa clan. By the beginning of the Boshin War, the Urashima were an entity of significant political prestige and power, and upon bringing the Mononobe back into their fold, were able to cut all ties between themselves and the Tokugawa,. When war broke out, the Urashima accomplished the impossible: they brokered an extremely flimsy, unstable truce between the Mononobe and Tachibana, in order to have them work together on the side of those who wished to restore power to the imperial court. Both clans forwarded their best warriors, assassins, forgers, and medicine makers to serve the imperial cause. By the end of the war in 1869, the Tachibana and Mononobe clans had earned many accolades, but with the imperial court victorious and Emperor Meiji restored to power, tensions skyrocketed between the old enemies, and many feared that the ancient blood feud would be rekindled. _

_Having been impressed by the cunning nature of the Tachibana, and the legendary skill of the Mononobe, Emperor Meiji came up with a solution to the danger of a revived shadow war: On November 14, 1870, he wrote a decree for an Imperial Tournament be held between the two clans, with the Urashima and another ancient clan, the Aoyama, acting alongside the Emperor himself as judges. The two clans would put forth their best swordsmen, who would compete in tournament style battle. The clan with the most victors would be given the honor of the title "Imperial Guardians" for the next 10 years. The emperor then had the current head of the Urashima, Mononobe, Aoyama, and Tachibana clans sign their names in blood, before declaring the decree to be everlasting until the end of time by placing not only his imperial seal, but his own signature in blood._

_The signing of the decree became known as the unofficial end to the blood feud that had plagued the Mononobe and Tachibana clans for centuries since the Sengoku, and for decades, the Decennial Imperial Tournament became a beloved tradition of the imperial court. However, despite outward appearances not all was well between the two clans at all…for old wounds seldom fade, and bad blood is never forgotten…_


	2. Chapter 1 - The Birth of Tenchuu

**Disclaimer - I don't own Love Hina. That's all Ken Akamatsu.******_  
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**Chapter I – The Birth of Tenchū**

It was a beautiful, crisp fall day in the nation of Japan, with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see, and a gentle heat coming from the midday sun. The leaves had begun to change colors, sporting luscious reds, yellows, and oranges in an elegant, breathtaking portrait of nature's own creation. In the streets of Tokyo, the people hustled and bustled towards their destination for the day. As it was a Saturday, most were heading to begin their weekend plans, chatting with friends at cafes, shopping at malls, and so on. In the air was a tranquil buzz that would uplift anyone's spirits, and just make the day that much more peaceful and enjoyable.

It was the quintessential perfect day…

"HAJIME!"

…the perfect day for the Decennial Imperial Tournament, held in the vast courtyard of the Chowaden Reception Hall within the confines of the Imperial Palace. Vibrant banners and streamers waved fiercely in the wind, as the crowd of dignitaries and heads of ancient noble clans roared and cheered at the matches currently underway. From behind the bulletproof glass of the veranda, the imperial family sat and watched the festivities. The emperor, resplendent in a crisp white suit, displaying the perfect example of royal poise and dignity as he sat straight, his wife and empress next to him, dressed in an elegant red-silk kimono tied closed with a purple obi, her hair done up in an elaborate bun and only slight traces of makeup on her face, emphasizing her natural beauty. Their children, the crown prince and the princess, were also dressed in their best kimonos, however rather than the stoic, serene image their parents assumed, the bubbly and cheerful youngsters were bouncing in their seats, nearly toppling out of them in excitement as they cheered on their favorite swordsmen competing before them.

Placed in the middle of the courtyard was an upraised circular ring, only a couple of feet high and several meters in diameter. Preserved from ancient times, this ring was the ceremonial battleground used by the competing swordsman to wage honorable one-on-one combat. Although worn by age and exposure to the elements, the combat ring still fulfilled its purpose faithfully to this day. To the left of the ring, the Mononobe clan stood by in their camp, eyes glued to either the ring during combat, or the emperor and judges as they declared the winners. The clan's flags dotted their side of the field, showcasing the dark blue and white colors of their house. On the opposite side of the ring, the Tachibana clan also stood at attention amongst the black and yellow flags of their house, eyes fixed to the ring or emperor's booth, but every now and then, a few shot fierce glares and dirty looks towards the Mononobe side, looks that went unnoticed or ignored by their rivals.

The battles had waged fiercely and without pause for the majority of the day, but now, as the emperor rose from his throne and motioned towards his two judges to come towards him, the air above the courtyard seemed to still in anticipation, and time itself appeared to hold its breath as it waited for the emperor to speak.

"My warriors! My countrymen! Today, you have graced these eyes of us all with your displays of ability, skill, tenacity, and grit," began the emperor, his powerful voice echoing across the yard, "your battles have been exemplary, your representatives honorable, and your desire to win…inspirational."

He looked out across the field, his warm hazel eyes taking in every face, before lingering on two families in particular, "Now…the contest to determine which clan will claim the title of honored Imperial Guardians for the next decade is nearly at an end. It is time for the final battle of the tournament to begin!"

A raucous cheer rose from the assembled crowds, as fellow clansmen clapped each other on the back and roared in excitement at the ring before them. In the Mononobe camp, many of the clan members hugged and shook hands with one of their own, a young man no older than 14, as he made his way through the crowd and stepped up to where a group of three people awaited him. His long, spiky black hair tied in a simple ponytail waved gently from side to side as he walked on, his sharp brown eyes focused and determined. Dressed in a flowing white gi with metal shoulder pauldrons, a dark blue hakama, and simple wooden sandals and socks, he was the spitting image of an honorable apprentice samurai as he finally reached the individuals standing near the edge of the ring.

"Father, Mother," the boy began in a soft voice, falling to one knee before them and bowing his head to show deference.

His father, a tall, lean structured man with short, spiky black hair who shared the same sharp brown eyes as his son, walked forward and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Rise Kyoshiro, there's no need to stand on ceremony with me. Save it for the emperor, ok?" he laughed as he helped his son to rise.

Once he got back to his feet, Kyoshiro was surprised with a hug from the smallest member of the group, a girl of about 10 years of age with long, straight black hair that went down to her waist, vivid light brown eyes, and dressed in a white kimono with cherry blossom petals sewn in an elaborate design.

"Kyo-nii!"

The young warrior grinned wide as he embraced his little sister, "Saya-chan! What'd I tell ya about glomping me in front of the others!" he tried to sound stern, but he couldn't keep the mirth out of his voice. It was hard to be mad at the adorable young girl.

"Now, now Saya-chan, you have to act more dignified in front of the Imperial family," the soft voice of the children's mother interrupted as she walked towards her offspring. She was a tall, demure woman who stood only about a few inches short of her husband, with a heart-shaped face and short dark brown cut in a pixie style, along with vibrant blue eyes. She was also elegantly dressed in a formal blue kimono with white rose petal designs sewn into the fabric. When she reached her son and daughter, she embraced them both, a gesture returned by Kyoshiro.

"Awww! I just wanted to wish Kyo-nii good luck and tell'im to kick the other guy's butt in the match!" Saya whined as she pulled back from her mother and latched herself onto her brother's arm, clearly not ready to send him off just yet.

"I know you did sis, and thanks," Kyoshiro gently rubbed his hand in Saya's hair, messing it up slightly. The rambunctious little girl didn't seem to mind in the slightest, only holding her brother's arm closer to her.

"Kyoshiro, we have to go present ourselves to the emperor and the judges for the match," his father called. Waving one last time to his mother and sister, the apprentice samurai walked with his father to the front of the veranda. From their position, they noticed a small group of women standing outside in front of the glass windows of the veranda.

One was a short, wizened looking elderly woman, with silver hair tied in a bun, slightly tanned skin with few wrinkles, and squinted eyes full of warmth and mischief. She wore a nondescript red kimono under a large orange haori and geta sandals. Standing next to her was a taller woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, with short brown hair and long bangs that framed her pale face, and aloof, but friendly brown eyes. She wore black slacks and a tight black turtleneck shirt, covered by a long beige trench coat, and black dress shoes. A half-finished cigarette hung lazily from her full lips.

The last two women appeared to be sisters, as they dressed in the same white gi and crimson hakama and sandals. Both had flowing raven-black hair that reached to their backsides, pale skin that shined in the afternoon sun, and dark grey eyes, although the older sister's eyes held power within them, along with a hint of playfulness, while the younger sister's held more caution and a hint of shyness. They could have been twins if not for the fact that the older woman reached Kyoshiro's father's height, while her sibling was a head shorter than Kyoshiro.

"Father, you didn't tell me THEY'D be here," Kyoshiro said as he gestured to the group of women gathered at the veranda. His father laughed and patted his son on the back, "Of course I didn't, I wanted it to be a surprise. You've trained with them for quite a while, so it's only natural they'd come and watch your debut bout."

Catching a few words of the exchange, the older of the raven haired sisters gave the young swordsman a playful look, "Aww, you sound like you didn't want us to be here, Kyoshiro-kun! And after we came all this way to see your big fight," she placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head dramatically, earning a tick-mark on Kyoshiro's head and a sigh from her younger sister.

"Tsuruko-neesama, stop picking on Kyoshiro-sempai."

"Oh, don't be like that Motoko-han," Tsuruko chided as she patted her sister on the head, "I'm just greeting our young crash dummy-kun!"

Kyoshiro took a breath to calm himself before addressing the women before him, "It's good to see you, Urashima-sama, Haruka-san, Tsuruko-sempai," he turned and gave the youngest of the group a big smile, "and especially you Motoko-chan! Hope sempai hasn't been giving you too much trouble at the dojo!"

Motoko's face glowed red before she answered back, "N-no Sempai, she hasn't been giving me trouble at all. I've gotten much better under her tutelage, and soon I'll be able to begin learning ki-techniques!" she said proudly.

While the children were speaking, Kyoshiro's father exchanged greetings with the other two women in the group, "Hina-sama, it's been quite a while. And Haruka-chan, you're looking well!"

The old woman laughed as she walked and gently embraced the taller man, "You and Sakuya are looking pretty good yourselves, Kazuya-kun! I'm surprised you haven't started springing up silver hairs from dealing with those lovely little rascals of yours!"

"Layoff him, granny Hina," Haruka sighed but stepped forward to hug Kazuya after Hina pulled away, "It's good to see you too, Kazuya-san."

"Hina has a point though, those students can be a handful," Kazuya laughed boisterously before his gaze lingered on his son, still lightly chatting with Tsuruko and Motoko, "but they're certainly worth the effort. Kyoshiro especially has worked extremely hard. He's a quicker learner than I was at that age!"

"So I've seen from his sparring," Haruka smiled gently in nostalgia, remembering her few, but fierce matches with the young heir. Each time, he seemed to improve in leaps and bounds.

"Oooh, I'm so excited! I can't wait to see what little Kyoshiro has in store for us today!" Hina beamed as she bounced on her feet, hardly able to wait for the match any longer.

"Don't expect too much from him…it will be _my_ son who takes the victory here."

The three turned to face the deep voice that had interrupted their conversation. A short distance away, a tall, muscular man with untidy dark brown hair and intimidating yellow eyes walked towards the veranda, accompanied by a young boy with blood-red hair and yellow eyes that were almost feline in nature. Both wore black gi, burnt yellow hakama, sandals, and red scarves around their necks. They also had cocky smirks on their faces that irritated Kazuya and earned annoyed glances from Hina and Haruka.

"You took your sweet time to get here, Heihachi…Kurotora," one could not miss the venom in Kazuya's voice as he glared at the newcomers. Heihachi's eyes turned cold as he stared at his hated rival.

"Your clan has held victory over mine for long enough, Mononobe," the Tachibana clan head spat as he gripped his son's shoulder, "the pride of the Tachibana will see an end to your winning streak."

Kyoshiro, finally taking notice of the newly arrived Tachibana, walked over and stood before his father, taking up his look of cold apathy as he took in his opponent. Kurotora met his stare with a look of cocky indifference, as if Kyoshiro were beneath his notice.

"I hope you didn't come here thinking you'd win, little Kyo," Kurotora taunted, smirking when Kyoshiro's face tightened, "you should run home to your fellow mongrels and save yourself the embarrassment."

Kyoshiro turned his head up to look at his father, "Hey Dad, did you hear something? It sounded like a small, whiny voice in the wind."

Picking up on his son's game, Kazuya decided to play along, "I think I may have heard something similar Kyo, but it could just be the wind playing tricks on you."

"That's what I thought," Kyoshiro smiled and turned back to face Kurotora, his smile turning into a full-blown grin at the look of fury on his rival's face. Kazuya also grinned viciously at Heihachi's seething expression.

Before the banter could continue, the sound of someone clearing his throat brought everyone's attention to the emperor, who looked down at the feuding pairs with mirth. "I believe you should save that energy for the tournament, young ones."

Having the decency to look ashamed, the boys knelt before the emperor and bowed their heads, "My apologies for my abhorrent behavior, my lord. My intent wasn't to be shameful in your presence," they said simultaneously.

The emperor waved off their apologies, "It's quite alright. I remember what it was like to be young and full of energy…I'm not THAT old yet," he chuckled before continuing, "Anyway, may I present the two judges who will be presiding over your match."

He gestured to Hina and Tsuruko, and both stepped forward to face the assembled combatants, "First, Hina Urashima, my most trusted advisor and head of the Urashima clan."

"I want a fair, fierce fight between the two of you young lads, understand?" Hina asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Remember that you both bear the honor of your clans as representative fighters, so don't do anything to dishonor your people."

The boys nodded their affirmation before bowing to the elderly Urashima. The emperor then motioned towards Tsuruko, "Your second judge will be Tsuruko Aoyama, head of the Aoyama clan and current master of the Shinmei-ryu."

"I too wish to see a well fought, clean match between you two," Tsuruko addressed the two serenely, "You are both the pride of your clans, heads of the next generation. Do well to remember that as you engage in combat."

As with the Urashima clan head, Kyoshiro and Kurotora both nodded and bowed to their second judge, before turning to face the emperor.

"The judges have been introduced, and their final words of wisdom spoken. Now, Kyoshiro Mononobe, and Kurotora Tachibana, take your place in the ring!"

A loud cheer rose from the assembled clans as Kazuya and Heihachi escorted their sons to the ring. While Kurotora basked in the praise and walked with an arrogant hitch in his step, Kyoshiro tuned it out, focusing only on the ring and his father's hand on his shoulder as he led him to the steps beside the ring.

"Just remember all that I've taught you Kyo," he whispered as they came closer to the ring, "You know all you need to achieve victory and bring the Mononobe the title again."

"I won't let you and the others down Father," Kyoshiro pledged as he took a breath to steel himself for the match, "I know what's at stake here. I won't let that Tachibana bastard take what's ours!"

Kazuya gripped his son's shoulder tightly, causing the young boy to look up at him confusedly, "Don't make this battle about the feud between our clans Kyoshiro. The past will only weigh you down and diminish your ability. Once you're in that ring, it's just you and your opponent. Nothing else. Any distractions could cost you the match," he gave his son the most reassuring smile he could as he finished, "clear your mind, calm your heart, and battle as best you can. No matter the outcome, I'll be proud of you if you fight your hardest."

Kyoshiro took in his father's words, before gracing him with a small smile, "I understand, Dad. I'll do my best!"

On the opposite side of the ring, Heihachi was having a similar conversation with Kurotora, "This is the moment we've all been training you for, Kurotora. We've been under the heel of those wretched Mononobe for five decades! You will be the one to put an end to that legacy of shame in our clan!"

Kurotora gave his father a vicious grin, "Don't worry Father, by the time I'm done, those pathetic warriors'll be so traumatized by the beatdown I hand to little Kyo that they'll never rise against their betters again! I'll show em what a TRUE elite samurai can do!"

Heihachi grinned evilly to his son, "That's what I want to hear. Now back your words with action, and utterly DESTROY Kyoshiro Mononobe! Failure will NOT be tolerated!"

Kurotora gave one last nod to his father before he ascended the steps to the ring. Upon reaching the top, he was met by one of two refs. Both were dressed in traditional white gi, black hakama, and sandals, and armed with two live katana, in the event a duel got out of hand. Each one held out a long case to Kurotora and Kyoshiro, after the latter had also reached the top of the ring. The two opponents opened their box, revealing a brand new iaito, or practice katana with a dulled blade. Lifting the iaitos from the box, both Kyoshiro and Kurotora drew them from their sheaths, and inspected the blades for any signs of failure. Pleased by what they saw, the two re-sheathed their blades and secured them to their waists on their belts. The refs then placed the boxes on the outer rim of the ring and walked toward the middle.

"Both combatants have received and inspected their weapons. No complaints have been raised," the judges spoke simultaneously, their synchronized voices gripped the waiting crowd, "The rules of this bout are as follows: competitors will do battle until one of them is either disarmed, or rendered incapable of continuing. All shots to the head are declared illegal, and will result in immediate disqualification. Combatants, draw your blades."

The two boys complied and faced one another from opposite sides of the ring, slowly drawing their blades before them and pointing the edge at their opponent. The roar of the crowd picked up and the ceremonial drummers began to beat their instruments faster upon seeing the young heirs preparing for battle.

"By your leave, emperor," the refs then looked to the veranda, where the emperor stood and raised a single hand in the air. The drums and crowd went quiet, and even the wind paused as everyone's attention was on the imperial ruler. Looking towards the ring, the emperor met eyes with Kyoshiro, then Kurotora, before swiftly bringing his arm down and facing his palm towards the ring, "HAJIME!"

The two combatants looked to each other, eyes narrowed and grips tightened on their blades. Kurotora chose then to speak, "You should've taken the generous offer I gave you to run and saved yourself. Now you'll bleed!"

Kyoshiro refused to rise to his rival's taunt, choosing to calm his breathing and focus on his opponent's stance. The Tachibana heir took his opponent's silence for fear, and grinned like a wild beast about to pounce on its prey, "Well, if you're just gonna stand there and take your beating, suits me just fine. I'll make it quick!" he yelled before dashing towards Kyoshiro with blinding speed.

The Mononobe heir counted a few seconds in his head before also running towards his incoming rival, iaito poised to strike. Time slowed to a crawl as the two rushed forward, tuning everything around them and bringing their blades to the fore to meet in the middle of the ring in a powerful clash.

Kyoshiro pushed hard against Kurotora's blade, trying to best him with pure strength, but Kurotora used his force against him and slid back and off to the side, forcing Kyoshiro forward and leaving him open. However, Kyoshiro was ready and quickly brought his iaito to guard against Kurotora's strike. Undeterred, Kurotora pushed with his assault, blitzing Kyoshiro with a flurry of slashes and stabs, all of which were parried or blocked.

"So defensive! What's the matter coward, afraid to fight back?!" Kurotora taunted as he launched a particularly strong strike to Kyoshiro's ribs. Although he was able to block the stroke, sheer force of it threw the Mononobe heir back towards the edge of the ring. While his clan looked on worriedly, the Tachibana cheered for their chosen representative and jeered at their hated rival clan.

Kyoshiro took a moment to gather himself up as he glared across at his opponent, _'His form is near-perfect…and he adds a lot of power to his strikes despite being so swift. Talk about troublesome'_ he thought as he assessed what he'd seen of Kurotora's ability so far. Deciding to test his defenses, Kyoshiro brought his blade up and rushed forward to engage Kurotora again. Seeing his opponent's dash, the Tachibana heir raised his blade and prepared to counter. Kyoshiro began with a mild flurry of strikes that were easily blocked, however when Kurotora let his guard down, Kyoshiro went in with a feint to the left before quickly curving his strike upward, shattering Kurotora's guard. The shocked look on the Tachibana's face amused Kyoshiro to no end.

"Y-you bastard!" Kurotora shouted before backpedaling to escape and regroup, but Kyoshiro refused to give him the time to recuperate and was immediately on him using more vicious strikes. The Mononobe clan's side erupted in cheers as they urged the young heir on, while the Tachibana began to panic. Heihachi especially was not pleased with the turnabout.

"Kurotora! What are you doing?! You were dominating him a mere moment ago! Stop running and END HIM!"

Hearing his father's words, Kurotora immediately tried to counter, but Kyoshiro's strikes were too fluid, too precise, and left little to no room for an opening. He could feel the Mononobe's blade pass by his face as he awkwardly deflected it to the side, the wind ruffling his crimson locks.

'_Damn him! If this keeps up, I'll be the one eating the floor! Gotta make an opening…there!'_

Slipping past one of Kyoshiro's strikes, Kurotora stepped off to the side and reeled his arm back, before jabbing the base of his iaito hilt into the back of Kyoshiro's head. The illegal strike sent other swordsman tumbling to the floor.

"HALT! Illegal maneuver performed by Kurotora Tachibana!" The ref immediately interfered, eliciting boos and nasty remarks from the Tachibana clan. One ref ran over to Kyoshiro, who was picking himself up gingerly from the ground. He had a bleeding cut on his forehead from hitting the ground, and when he put his hand to the spot on his head that was struck, he felt a familiar wetness.

"Are you still fit to fight, Kyoshiro-sama?" asked the ref as he looked over the downed lad. Fighting against the dizziness he felt, the Mononobe heir nodded, "Yea…I'll be fine. Don't stop the match and don't take any points off please."

The ref looked troubled, "He used an illegal strike against you…by all means, he should be disqualified."

"There's no such thing as an illegal strike on the battlefield!" Heihachi jeered loudly at the ref, "All is fair in fighting in a war! That's how the assassins handled things! If the boy is too weak to go on, he deserves to lose!"

The ref was about to respond, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, "as much as I hate agreeing with Tachibana-teme over there, he's right. All is fair on the field of battle. I'll be fine, continue the match."

Seeing the determination in Kyoshiro's slightly dulled eyes, the ref felt his respect for the boy increase, "Very well, you may continue," he backed away towards the center of the ring as the boys faced off again, "this match shall now resume!"

The crowd erupted and resumed rooting for their favorites, though the Tachibana could smell blood in the water, and urged their heir to destroy Kyoshiro. Taking it all in, Kurotora's grin turned cocky as he looked at his weary opponent, "You should've taken that down and left, little Kyo. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because your wounded…it actually just makes me wanna see you bleed more!" he said with a crazed look in his feline-like yellow eyes.

Kyoshiro narrowed his own gaze as he took stock of his situation, _'Damn…I didn't expect that last strike…guess Dad was right when he said the Tachibana will do anything to win…'_

Looking back towards his clan, he could see his father and mother watching on with worry, while Saya cheered and urged him on with all her heart.

"Don't let that bully stop you, Kyo-nii! Wipe the floor with him!"

Smiling at his sister's invigorating encouragement, he took a quick glance at the judges's booth, where both Hina and Tsuruko looked on with rapt attention. Both had been ready to stop the match after Kurotora's blatant foul, but after seeing Kyoshiro's insistence on continuing, decided to let the boy handle the match his way.

Looking back to his rival, Kyoshiro was just in time to see Kurotora's blind rush towards him, and brought his iaito up to block. For the next few moments, the Mononobe heir was on the defensive, as he was still feeling the dizzying effects of the illegal blow to the head. Kurotora became even fiercer as he saw Kyoshiro's guard begin to crumble under his merciless assault, his victory so close that he could taste it.

"I can see you weakening, little Kyo!" he cried out as one strike slipped past Kyoshiro's guard and tore part of his gi, "You're getting slower, sloppier! At least make this a challenge for me before I take your fucking head off!"

Kyoshiro gritted his teeth as his guard continued to falter, _'Dammit! I'm screwed at this rate! If I could just…wait a minute…'_

Behind his failing attempts to protect himself, Kyoshiro began to notice large gaps opening in Kurotora's form. While the strikes were fast, and powerful, they were becoming more crazed and less fluid, leaving more holes in the Tachibana's defense.

'…_he really should know better than to get that overconfident…but this is a Tachibana I'm dealing with here…time to remind him of the basics'_ Kyoshiro thought and with a smirk began planning his counterassault.

Completely in the dark to the incoming retaliation, Kurotora kept slashing away at his opponent's guard, fueled by the cheers of his clan and the hatred inherited from their historic feud, "You bastards must've felt sooo comfy, seated beside the emperor and his family for the past five fucking decades!" He emphasized his words with powerful strikes that shook Kyoshiro to the core, but the Mononobe remained steadfast while Kurotora continued, "Making fun of the Tachibana as if YOU were the greatest! Well it's time for a damn wake up call to you Mononobe bastards, starting with YOU!"

With a powerful downward strike, Kyoshiro's guard shattered, leaving him wide open. Kazuya and the rest of his family watched on in horror, tears running down Saya's eyes as she witnessed what she believed to be the end of her brother.

"Kyo-nii…KYO-NII WATCH OUT!"

Kurotora raised his blade in victory, the exultation of his father and the rest of the Tachibana clan behind him, "BURN IN HELL, YOU BASTARD!"

Kyoshiro's eyes widened, before a small smirk came to his face. As Kurotora struck, the Mononobe heir moved with speed beyond what he'd initially shown, and moved to the side just as his opponent's blade slashed through his original position. Bringing his blade up in a savage upward strike, Kyoshiro nailed Kurotora's wrists, shattering one of them. The Tachibana's blade flew out of the wring, and Kurotora crumpled to his knees, screaming in agony as he clutched his broken wrist to his chest. Kyoshiro merely pointed the tip at his rival's head, "…my win…Kuro-teme."

"The match has been decided!" the refs shouted out, and as one of them went to check on Kurotora, the other quickly received the final observations of the judges. "By unanimous decision of the judges, the victor in this final bout is," he paused for dramatic affect before lifting Kyoshiro's blade hand into the air, "the Mononobe heir, Kyoshiro Mononobe!"

There was a lull after the announcement, before the Mononobe clan erupted in the loudest cheers anyone had heard all day. Balloons and doves were let loose as clansmen hugged their kin, some crying in happiness.

Kazuya was beside himself, shouting praise into the air as he beheld his son, who was jumping up and down in excitement at his victory.

On the other side, the Tachibana were shell-shocked by their prince's defeat. Heihachi was furiously denying the legitimacy of the victory, and had to be held back from the ring.

"THIS IS BLASPHEMY! KUROTORA HAD THE VICTORY IN HAND! THAT BASTARD MONONOBE MUST HAVE CHEATED SOMEHOW!"

Back in the ring, the ref that had went over to see to Kurotora's injury knelt beside the now quiet teen, "Let me take a look at that wrist."

Kurotora looked over slowly at the ref, eyes bloodshot from the pain, but still with a crazed glint in them. The defeated heir then looked over to where the other ref was looking over and congratulating the winner.

'…_no…that…ronin wannabe Mononobe beat me?! Beat ME?!'_

Kurotora then eyed the katana sheathed at the judge's waist, and within his mind, something snapped.

It happened too fast for anyone to stop it, one moment the wounded Tachibana was on the ground, the next, he'd grabbed the hilt of the ref's katana and pulled the blade out with his good hand, "NOOOOOO! THIS IS BULLSHIT! I'LL KILL YOU KYOSHIRO!"

Kyoshiro looked behind him to see his defeated rival, armed with a live katana and poised to strike. Pushing the other ref out of the way, he brought up his iaito, "Kuro-teme…calm the fuck down. You lost already, don't bring even more shame to your clan by trying to attack me-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Kurotora was beyond rational thought at this point, insanity blazing in his eyes, "YOU MONONOBE THINK YOU'RE SO FUCKING HOT, WELL ONCE I WIPE YOU ALL OUT, YOU WON'T EVEN BE A FUCKING FOOTNOTE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS!"

With that, Kurotora rushed towards his rival, intent on ending his life, "DIE YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

"KYOSHIRO, GET OUT OF THERE!" Kazuya yelled as he was about to jump onto the ring and save his son. Heihachi, seeing this, also prepared to intervene and stop his mad son from committing murder before the emperor.

"KUROTORA, YOU BLOODY FOOL! STOP THIS BEFORE YOU DISHONOR US ANY FURTHER!"

The boy was no longer thinking with reason…or thinking at all for that matter, and continued his blind rush towards Kyoshiro. Hearing the cries for help and the wails of his loved ones, Kyoshiro focused solely on Kurotora, and just as his rival reached him and swung down, the Mononobe heir parried the strike with his iaito, deflecting it to the side before countering with a strike to the point where Kurotora's neck met his shoulder. The Tachibana heir was out cold before he even hit the ground.

Immediately, the refs, Kazuya, Heihachi, and even Tsuruko, who had jumped from her place at the judges table and had been reading a ki technique, flooded the ring to check on the boys. Kazuya ran up to his son, Sakuya following soon after.

"Kyoshiro, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Sakuya asked as she fussed over his blood-smeared face and roughed up clothes like a mother hen. Kazuya also kept looking over his son, thanking the gods that he'd survived the sneak attack.

"I'm alright Mom, Dad. I was able to deflect his strike and knock him out before he did any more damage. Don't worry about me," Kyoshiro reassured them with a sigh as he felt the adrenaline leave his system, causing him to feel every bit as drained as he probably looked.

"That boy crossed the damn line," Kazuya gave a harsh look towards the Tachibana heir, who was now being carried over Heihachi's broad shoulder, "Heihachi! You better learn to control that wild animal of yours before he starts anymore trouble!"

Heihachi stopped and turned to look at Kazuya and his family, a sneer on his face, "Don't you try and tell me how to raise my own kin, fool. You've obtained your victory today, but mark my words, the Tachibana WILL make you pay for this insult!" he then looked to Kyoshiro, and the boy could swear he was trying to murder him with his eyes, "and as for you boy, you got REAL lucky. Kurotora became arrogant, and that was the ONLY reason you prevailed. Next time, it'll be YOU on the ground out cold!"

"When your son stops acting like a bitch and can win without resorting to dirty bullshit tricks, tell him I'm ready for a rematch whenever," Kyoshiro glared back at the Tachibana clan head, refusing to back down from the more experienced swordsman.

Giving the main Mononobe clan family one last dirty look, Heihachi leapt off the ring towards his clan, Kurotora still unconscious over his shoulder, and as one, the Tachibana clan walked off the courtyard and out of the palace grounds without even staying to hear the final results or give a final respectful salute to the emperor. The crown prince and princess blew raspberries at the Tachibana's retreating backs, and even the empress appeared displeased at the blatant show of disrespect.

The emperor merely sighed, "I was afraid that would be their reaction should they fail to achieve victory again. They have lost the past five tournaments…sometimes I wonder if we should put a victory cap to prevent this kind of situation."

The empress looked to her husband, "I don't think you would be able to settle this so easily with such a measure," she spoke in a soft, silk-like voice that eased the emperor a bit, "they would still consider it an insult and a dishonor to their pride if you just gave them the position because they couldn't earn it for themselves."

"…You're right…as always," the emperor chuckled, earning a giggle from his wife, "It matters not now. We've more important things to worry about."

Standing from his seat and, in a bold move, walking from the veranda towards the ring, surrounded by his honor guard, the emperor went up the steps and walked towards a now seated Kyoshiro, who was being bandaged up by the ref while Kazuya and Sakuya watched on with relief in their eyes. Saya had latched onto Kyoshiro's uninjured side and refused to let go.

"C'mon Saya-chan, I told you I'm fine-"

"Nuh-uh! Baka-nii's still bleedin! You made me think you were gonna die!"

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"….Kyo-nii's still a baka-nii…"

"Now, now young lady, I'm sure he didn't mean to make you worry," interrupted the deep, warm voice of the emperor. Kyoshiro scrambled to his feet to stand at attention, bringing his still clinging sister up with him, "My emperor!"

The emperor laughed, "At ease Kyoshiro, I don't want you to go injuring yourself even further."

"See?! Even the emperor knows you're hurt Kyo-nii!" Saya squealed as she held her brother tighter, her hair masking her eyes in shadow and tears falling again from her cheeks.

"Now, let's have no more of that," the emperor knelt down to the sobbing Saya and used his hand to wipe away her tears, "a pretty little girl like you shouldn't be crying after her brother fought so hard, right?"

Sniffing a bit more, Saya looked back to the emperor, a gentle smile on his face, before giving him a small pout, "…I'm not little…I'm 10…"

"Oh, forgive me," the imperial ruler apologized and rubbed his hand on top of the young girl's head, making her laugh before he stood back up and faced Kyoshiro, who was still standing at attention. "I thought I said at ease, young man."

"…sorry my lord…force of habit…blame dad," the wounded young swordsman relaxed a bit as his father and mother came to stand behind him.

"Don't blame me…blame your mother. She taught you etiquette," Kazuya laughed as Sakuya playfully hit him in the chest at his shifting blame.

The emperor laughed, seeing the heartwarming interaction of the family of four, "It truly does my heart proud to see such a close knit family. It appears your clan has won again, Kazuya-kun."

"We are honored to serve at your side, My Emperor," Kazuya said as he bowed gracefully, the rest of his family and clan bowing soon after him.

"I know that we normally have the award ceremony immediately, however considering what's happened, and Kyoshiro's current state, I think we can put it off until tomorrow," the emperor gave Kyoshiro one final pat on the shoulder before turning and walking back to his family, honor guard in tow.

Kyoshiro breathed out a sigh of relief and looked up at his parents, "I don't know about you, but I think I'm gonna crash the minute we get back home…I'm beat."

Kazuya gently squeezed his son's shoulders affectionately, "Take all the time you need son. You earned it."

* * *

><p>As she watched the Mononobe main family walk off, a frown found its way onto the Urashima clan head's face. Kurotora's display, while extreme, was not the first time a defeated Tachibana at the tournament tried to strike out at their Mononobe opponent. For the past thirty years, tension had been building since the assassin clan's third consecutive loss, and these random moments of acting out were raising red flags with their frequency.<p>

"Haruka," the younger Urashima turned and narrowed her eyes when she saw the serious look on her grandmother's face, "I want you to assign some of our scouts to every Mononobe compound frequented by Kazuya and his family."

"Something bothering you, granny?" Haruka raised an eyebrow at the request. While it wasn't outlandish, it did seem strange. Then again, Hina had always been a little protective over Kazuya.

"Call it an old woman's intuition, child. What happened today may have been a sign of things coming to a head between the Tachibana and the Mononobe. When I was a girl, my father, Keisuke, always believed that those two clans could never co-exist. There's far too much history and blood spilt between them for any peace to be permanent. I had hoped he was being an ignorant fool, but now…"

Seeing that the elderly woman wouldn't expound further on her thoughts, Haruka nodded, "I'll let them know ASAP. It's gonna suck if you're "old woman's intuition" turns out to be right though."

The foreboding in Hina's voice chilled Haruka to the bone, "Pray that I'm wrong, Haruka…by the gods, pray that I'm wrong…"

* * *

><p>"YOU INSUFFERABLE IDIOT!"<p>

A loud 'SMACK' followed by the sound of something crashing into furniture echoed throughout the room, and heads turned to see Kurotora, now with a brace around his wrist, laid out on top of the now-broken wooden table where he fell after Heihachi had slapped him.

"Your irresponsible actions have cost us DEARLY boy! Have I not taught you better than this?! HAVE I NOT?!"

Silence reined as the Tachibana clan head looked absolutely livid at his son. After the conclusion of the tournament, Heihachi and the rest of his clan had returned to their temporary compound on the outskirts of Tokyo, where he reprimanded his son for his actions. After a few moments on the ground, Kurotora shakily stood up and returned the cold look of his father with a glare of his own, "I tried to do…what we SHOULD'VE done YEARS AGO!"

"…choose your words carefully boy…you've sullied our honor before the emperor enough…I will NOT tolerate your slander against our own kin…" the underlying tone of danger in Heihachi's voice promised brutal retaliation toward whatever his son may have said next.

"No Father…I've been quiet for too damn long…I was quiet when you taught me our history and how those BASTARDS stole what was ours…I was quiet when I saw my first tournament and they CHEATED us out of the victory…" Kurotora paused, trying to rein in the angry tears streaming from his face as he brought up the most painful injustice, "I…was quiet…when _they _KILLED HER!"

"Kurotora…don't you dare…"

"BUT I'M NOT GONNA BE QUIET ANY MORE! I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE THAT SEES THOSE MONONOBE ASSHATS AS A VIRUS THAT NEEDS TO BE WIPED OUT!"

"That is ENOUGH of your senseless pandering!" Heihachi put a stop to his son's impromptu speech, not noticing that many of the younger clan members, and quite a few of the elders, seemed to resonate in some way with Kurotora's words. Before he could physically discipline his son further, a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Calm yourself, Heihachi-sama. It's clear the boy is simply tired and still frustrated from his loss to Kyoshiro. He's probably not even aware of what he's saying."

Heihachi turned to face the voice over his shoulder, which belonged to his longtime friend and commander of his assassins, Ensui Yamamoto. Ensui was about the same age and height as Heihachi, with long, slightly unkempt dark brown hair, tanned skin, and empty-looking dark-brown eyes. A long diagonal scar running from above his left eye to the bottom of his right cheek marred his handsome face.

"Which makes his words even worse! He's already tainted our image before the emperor and his family…it will take more than pandering and favors to the Imperial Family and the Mononobe to fix this slight…" Heihachi answered as turned to face the other man, before continuing in a whisper, "…plus there is also the matter of Kurotora's aunt to consider…"

The Tachibana clan head shot a discreet look towards one corner of the room, where an alluring redheaded woman of average height stood watching the proceedings, a blank look of indifference on her face, although her midnight-blue eyes were slightly narrowed. Dressed in a casual, short dark-green kimono, she blended in with the darkened room, with her vibrant hair being the only way to identify her amongst the rest of their kin.

"…yea, we wouldn't want _that_ woman to get any ideas," Ensui agreed with a nod of his head, "but I don't believe she'll take his ramblings seriously. He's just a boy throwing a tantrum after all…"

Heihachi sighed before looking back at Kurotora, who still glared at him defiantly, "Head back to your room, Kurotora. I'll deal with you later."

Furious at his dismissal, the enraged boy stomped off to his room, rudely pushing anyone in his way to the side. Heihachi let out another sigh as he observed the boy's behavior, before noticing another person who had entered the room, "Oh, Mikamura-sensei. I wasn't aware you were in Tokyo. What brings you here?"

A ripe-looking older man in a worn kimono with a balding head and long silver beard stepped closer to where the clan head and his second-in-command now sat, "Greetings, Heihachi-sama, Ensui-sama. I apologize for the short notice, and my condolences on the loss…I truly believed Kurotora-sama would bring us our long-overdue victory," he said in a soft, willowy voice laden with age.

"His performance was adequate, but his arrogance once again led to his downfall. Enough about that, though. Why are you here?" Heihachi was quickly growing impatient, the stresses of the day finally catching up with him.

"I had a breakthrough with one of our many ki-enhancement projects recently…we may have discovered the key to harnessing that energy at will…for a temporary period."

Heihachi sighed again, "I already told you before, Sensei, I refuse to consider any potential project on ki-enhancement and control right now. Your last failures already cost us far too much, including several of our clansmen! I don't need the added trouble of coming up with excuses and fabricated accidents to those thrice-damned Urashima envoys as to why our kin are dying from ki-exhaustion!"

"B-but Heihachi-sama, we were able to isolate the problem and eradicate it for the most part-"

"Key words 'for the most part', meaning there's still a major issue, and thus I'm not interested," Heihachi quickly shut down Mikamura's argument and stood to leave the room, "stop this fool's errand of yours and get our doctors back to work on figuring out safer methods of body enhancement…maybe if you came up with something USEFUL, we could finally have an edge on those Mononobe bastards…"

Mikamura looked down in frustration as the Tachibana clan head walked past him and left for his quarters, with the rest of the assembled clansmen, including the mysterious redheaded woman, slowly filing out of the room. The dejected doctor turned to leave, but Ensui stopped him.

"Hold just a moment, Mikamura-sensei," he called out as he slowly made his way to the doctor, "please forgive Heihachi-sama for his gruff rejection. It's been a terrible day for him overall."

The old man sighed, "I could imagine…but we've made so much progress with our newest ki-enhancement formula. To just have it so carelessly disregarded is just…" he couldn't continue, the anger at the dismissal of his life's work too much to bear.

"…maybe we don't need to scrap it afterall."

Mikamura looked up in surprise at Ensui, who was giving him a small smile, "I still find your work rather intriguing, and if what you say is true, then this new formula is something that can't be overlooked. Would you mind sending me any reports on your progress with it, and maybe a sample? Perhaps if I take a look I can put in a good word for it later."

Mikamura's mood made a complete 180 shift as he beamed at the assassin commander, "O-of course, Ensui-sama! I'll have the data and a sample to you immediately!"

"Excellent. I'll be looking forward to it. In the meantime, just keep any word about the project hush-hush around Heihachi-sama for the time being…I'll try to talk him down and discuss the idea with him further."

Quickly nodding, Mikamura bowed and gave his thanks to Ensui before rushing from the main hall to get the reports from his co-workers. The assassin commander waited until the doctor was out of sight before making his way to Kurotora's room.

'_That's one step done…now for step two…'_

* * *

><p>"So those bastards took the win again, huh?"<p>

After leaving the main hall in disgrace, Kurotora had returned to his temporary sleeping quarters in the compound, where he found his younger brother, Akisora, sharpening his favorite katana while sitting on his futon. The boy was only two years younger than Kurotora, with the same blood-red hair and luminous yellow eyes, but while Kurotora's eyes were feline in shape, Akisora's were more normal. He stood about a head and shoulders shorter than his older brother, and preferred more modern clothing, currently wearing slightly baggy jeans and an old t-shirt with oil stains from polishing his katana.

"That they did…and instead of taking my side like I KNOW he wanted to, he brushed me aside and humiliated me before everyone in the hall! I only said what everyone was fucking thinking but didn't have the damn balls to say!"

Akisora nodded his head while he used a cloth to remove the excess oil from his blade, "And I think you were right…most of the people in that room probably thought you were right…but you shouldn't have said it in front of Dad."

Kurotora sat down on his futon opposite Akisora and gave him his attention, "What do you mean, otouto?"

"I mean, we both know father _hates_ the Mononobe…I mean we hate them too, but him? He _lives_ that hate. But if there's anything he hates more, it's losing face in front of the emperor…which is the LEAST of what would happen if anyone from our clan did anything to a member of the Mononobe outside of that imperial tournament ring."

Grudgingly, Kurotora had to agree with his brother's words. The tradition of the Decennial Imperial Tournament was more or less an unofficial non-aggression pact between the two clans, as well as an opportunity for one of the clans to rise to prominence for the next decade. There weren't many who would look too kindly on the violation of that pact, even if it was to right a history of wrongs.

Noticing his brother's silence and the look of frustrated defeat on his face, Akisora continued, "Now that one consequence is the only reason for Dad's continued subservience to those Mononobe bastards…well, that and the fact that there probably aren't enough of us who are high enough on the totem pole to agree to wipe those murderers out-"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, kiddo."

Both brothers turned quickly to the doorway of their shared room, where Ensui had just entered, "Forgive the intrusion, Kurotora-sama, Akisora-sama, but you might want to keep the door closed when talking about things like this."

Kurotora gave the man a hostile stare, "We'll remember that next time, so what the hell you want?! Gonna run to Father and rat us out?!"

The Tachibana heir was thrown off when Ensui began to laugh, his eyes squinted shut from his mirth, "Oh Kurotora-kun…if I wanted to do that, I never would've revealed myself to the two of you. No…I just wanted to tell you that there's a lot more of us who believe the same as you than you boys think."

"Really now?" Akisora questioned with interest in Ensui's input written on his face.

"Indeed…maybe if I could have a bit of your time, I could offer some…insight, to your dilemma," Ensui looked at Kurotora, who gave the man a malevolent smirk.

"…I'm listening…"

* * *

><p>The first thing Kyoshiro noticed upon waking up was the gentle light of the sun in his eye, followed by the low buzzing sound of his alarm. Reaching over to shut it off, he realized with a bit of shock that he couldn't move his left arm due to a weight on it. Lifting his head a bit from his futon, he saw the reason for the weight and sighed.<p>

"…Saya-chan…"

"mmm…too early…five more minutes Kyo-nii…"

"…what have I told you about sneaking into my futon at night? I KNEW letting you stay around Kanako-chan too long was a bad idea," he tried his best not to sound too uncomfortable, but when you had your little sister's head lying on your torso and her body on top of your arm, her DEVELOPING body at that, it tended to make things uncomfortable. Like her mother, Saya had begun to physically mature very early, and the signs of a lithe, feminine form were beginning to show more and more each day.

"…but you're an awesome pillow…just like Kana-chan said…"

Kyoshiro was having none of it, and fixed his sister with a blank stare, "Saya… . ."

Seeing that she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep now that her favorite pillow was awake and complaining, Saya gently rose from her brother's chest and cutely rubbed one eye, one of the shoulders of her nightshirt falling off slightly. Finally free, Kyoshiro rose from the futon and started going through his normal routine: get up, brush teeth, dress, polish his katana, and get ready for school. As he stood brushing his teeth, his mind reflected on the past couple of days. The day after the conclusion of the tournament, he, his family, and several members of their clan had gathered for the award ceremony and the traditional bestowment of the title of "Imperial Guardians." It was a lot of pomp and circumstance, with many highly-ranked dignitaries from all over Japan in attendance. The emperor himself placed the medal of victory around Kyoshiro's neck, as well as presenting his father Kazuya with the ceremonial golden Guardian Nodachi and Tanto. He had only seen it a couple times, but from those occasions, the young swordsman still believed it to be the oddest blade he'd ever seen. It stood about his height and the entire piece was made of the finest gold…including the blade. The fact it was a live blade and had been proven to cut before still baffled him, but didn't lose any sleep over it.

After the ceremony and reception, they had returned to their main compound on the western shore of Okinawa the following day, where his mother and father had told him they were planning a feast to celebrate their sixth consecutive victory over the Tachibana. That was two days ago. The feast would be in another three days, a thought that brought a huge smile to Kyoshiro's face.

'_I wonder who's gonna be able to come to this one…maybe Tsuruko-sempai and Motoko-chan? That'd be awesome!'_

Thoughts focused on the party to come, the young heir let his body go on autopilot, dressing into his school uniform and walking out of the compound into the front yard, where Kazuya was sitting under a tree in a plain yukata, resting from practicing his katas with a look of calm on his face. Hearing footsteps coming closer, the Mononobe clan head turned and beamed when he recognized his son. "Hey kiddo! Leaving a bit later than normal today, huh?"

"Sorry Dad…got a slow start today. Saya snuck into my room again…" Kyoshiro scratched the back of his head in slight annoyance, "I keep telling her she can't do that anymore, but she doesn't listen…it's annoying as hell…"

"Y'know…if this was olden times, that kinda behavior would've been encouraged, since chances are you'd end up marrying her," Kazuya said with a chuckle. That chuckle became a full on belly laugh after seeing his son pale at the revelation.

"EWWWWW! DAD! REALLY?!" Kyoshiro shook his head vigorously to get the images out of his head, "That's gross! How could they do that?! WHY would they do that?! Ick!"

It took a while, but Kazuya was able to calm down enough to explain, "Well that's how they kept the bloodline pure back then. It was before people learned more about medicine, the human body, and the disadvantage of repeated genomes caused by siring children with someone of your own blood," he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye before leaning back into the tree, "the kids would be placed into arranged marriages with the closest female to them in relation near their age…around the age you and Saya are now if I remember right…"

"…the fact you can even think about that without being disturbed calls your sanity into question, old man," Kyoshiro gave his father a deadpan look and decided to switch to a more pleasant, less disturbing topic, "So who's coming to the feast?"

Kazuya took a moment to remember who he'd received replies to the feast from. Looking up into the leaves above in contemplation, he answered, "Hmm…well unfortunately none of the Aoyama can make it…they've all been called away on some demon-exorcising hunt in Sapporo," that bit of news brought a frown to the boy's face, "The Urashima can't make it either, but they did say they had scouts that may be able to show up. So it's just going to be all of our clan in attendance."

Kyoshiro sighed, "Damn…I was hoping I'd get to see them there…then again, this means Kanako-chan and Saya-chan won't be in the same place together…I swear they're clingy as fu-"

"Language, young man!" the lovely, but stern voice of Sakuya intervened, father and son turning to see her walking towards them, dressed in a simple house kimono and holding a wrapped bento in her hands.

"Sorry mom!" Kyoshiro blushed from getting caught red-handed, but his mother only smiled and waved him off, "It's fine, just be more careful. We can't have the heir of the clan develop a potty mouth."

She handed her son the bento, which he quickly placed into the small backpack slung over his shoulder, before taking a seat next to her husband and hugging herself close to him. Kazuya wrapped an arm around her waist to bring her closer, "Good morning to you too, dear. You just missed the funniest conversation…"

"Oh no, we are NOT going there again! That's creepy!" Sticking his tongue out in disgust, Kyoshiro turned to leave, "I'll see ya when I get back home later!"

The parents waved to their son as he ran off before leaning back further into the tree they sat against. Sakuya placed her head in the crook of Kazuya's neck and sighed happily, "He's growing up so fast, isn't he?"

"Don't remind me," Kazuya laughed as he nuzzled the top of Sakuya's head with his nose, "Just another indication that I'm getting old…to think I have to hand the reigns of the clan to that lil guy in the next couple years…"

Sakuya giggled at the affectionate way Kazuya referred to his son, "You think he'll be ready? It's an awful lot of responsibility."

"He's coming along pretty well with what I've taught him," the Mononobe clan head smiled as he recalled his training sessions with his prodigal son, "He showed that much at the tournament a few days ago. Soon he'll be ready to start with ki-augmentation."

Sakuya lifted her hair and gave her husband a slightly worried look, "Will he be able to handle it? We don't even know if…_it_ has manifested in him."

Kazuya's eyes hardened and he tilted his head down, mind aflutter with grim thoughts at the rather touchy subject, "I'm hoping against all hope that the curse skipped him. It didn't come out when Kurotora tried to kill him, so maybe he was spared," he looked back up to his wife, his eyes calming as they stared into hers, "Don't worry, I've given him the beginner scrolls only. The advanced material is with Hina-sama, and I'll be keeping a close eye on him during his ki training."

Her worries assuaged for the time being, Sakuya beamed at her husband before leaning in and kissing him gently on his lips, "That's all I ask, _anata_."

Kazuya gave his wife a wide grin, "If that's a reward for training him, I should do it more often! He could still learn a thing or two from his old man!"

Sakuya gave him a saucy look that made his blood burn, "Maybe you could teach _me_ a thing or two before you start his training…" she wrapped her arms around Kazuya's neck and kissed him again, with a lot more passion than the first, while pressing her sizeable chest against his own. Kazuya was all too happy to reciprocate, and the two lost themselves in each other, enjoying a tender moment under the shade of the tree that beautiful fall morning.

* * *

><p>There was a chilling silence in the halls of the Tachibana's Tokyo compound as the footsteps of two men echoed off the walls. Something in the air just reeked of malicious intent. The past week had been a dangerous and difficult one for the two cloaked individuals. Garnering support for their plan hadn't been all that trying, but keeping their actions out of the limelight had been quite a task in and of its own.<p>

"Are you sure my father's completely in the dark about this?" Kurotora turned his hooded head to Ensui next to him, eyes cold and focused like a predator ready to pounce, "He's been more in my space the last couple days. I thought he might be onto something."

"Your father's just a bit concerned about your mental state after everything that happened, Kurotora-sama," Ensui's low timber voice answered back, "He's been meaning to start teaching you more advanced assassination techniques, but after your…display…he's been hesitant."

The Tachibana heir scowled and resumed looking ahead, "Maybe if he'd taught me sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation…but maybe that was a blessing in disguise."

The grizzled assassin commander gave the younger man a small smile, "Yea…a real blessing alright." The two reached the end of the hall, where Ensui placed a hand on Kurotora's shoulder, "We're here."

"We are? I don't see a door," Kurotora trailed off as he watched Ensui walk up to the wall and, after feeling around it, pressed what appeared to be a switch of some kind. Seconds later, a hidden door phased out from the wall and slid to the side, revealing a dark staircase, "…I really should've seen that coming…"

Ensui chuckled at Kurotora's shock, "This is a room not even known to your father. Technically, every head of the clan should know of it, but he became distracted by…well…you know…"

Kurotora managed to hide a cringe at the mention of his father's _distraction_, but he could not hide the hardening of his eyes, "…they're gonna regret that day…I'll make damn sure of that!"

Gripping his shoulder lightly to show his support, Ensui guided the young assassin down the stairs to another door. Opening it revealed a medium sized bunker with an assembly area in the middle. Milling around in the room were about fourteen other assassins, all dressed in black bodysuits with red cloaks and hoods, and all armed to the teeth.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…apologies for the delay, we just have one more," Ensui paused as he noticed one last figure dart into the room from the stairway before closing the door and locking it, "heh, never mind. Looks like we're all here."

The commander looked out at the assembled assassins, who now stood at the ready and gave him and Kurotora their attention, "Since this is his grand plan, I'll let our esteemed leader speak. The floor is yours Kurotora-sama."

The Tachibana heir walked forward and stared hard at the assembled group, "Every single one of you has my sincerest thanks for being here. You all share my blood, my loyalty to our clan, and my love for our kin. And also…you share my hatred…the hatred bourne of over 500 years of injustice inflicted upon us by our enemies."

He looked into the eyes of every assassin in the crowd, all of them focused on him, and smiled, "That injustice…is about to be paid back in full. You've heard whispers of what I plan to do, but I'll say it clear right here and now: my mission, OUR mission, will be to wipe out every single member of the Mononobe clan. Down to the last woman and child."

Kurotora observed the crowd closely, looking out for any negative reactions to his statement. All of them were calm, and when he looked closer, he saw the glint of anticipation and eagerness in their eyes. More than satisfied, he continued, "We've been under their heel for the past sixty years…shamed and disgraced as our rightful place was stolen from us, and suffering countless injustices along the way. Well, no fucking more. It's time to correct the order of the food chain, and send those bastards to hell with the rest of their murderer ancestors!"

"UHS!" came the quick cheer from the group before silence descended upon them again. Ensui took that moment to step behind Kurotora and continue where he left off, "While there are only a few of us here, we are among the absolute best this clan has to offer. You are all assassins and warriors of the highest caliber and most reputable merit. The finest I've trained in a long time."

Ensui gave a meaningful look to each of his kin, "We all have a huge stake in this, whether it be for the glory of our clan, or for personal past grievances. All of those crimes will be punished. Thanks to our intelligence, we've discovered that our enemies will be assembled at their compound in Okinawa three nights from now…to celebrate their _victory_," no one could miss the venom in Ensui's voice as he spoke, "Since they'd never expect an attack from us, this makes the feast the perfect time to strike."

"We'll be outnumbered, obviously," Kurotora stated as he reentered the discussion, "The entire clan will be attending, all of their best warriors. Even with the element of surprise, we may not get them all before they start to fight back. We'll need a force multiplier…something to even the playing field."

"That's where Mikamura-sensei comes in," Ensui motioned with his hand, and the short, gnarled-looking doctor stepped forth, holding a medium sized case in his hands, "a few days ago, he came to Heihachi-sama and I with a radical new medicine created by our doctors, herbalists, and ki-experts. While Heihachi-sama dismissed it, I saw the potential it had. I'll let him explain how it works."

"Thank you, Ensui-sama, for your kind words," Mikamura gave an appreciative bow, before turning to the rest of the assembled assassins, "What I have in this case…will most certainly be declared illegal by the emperor and government of our nation should they discover it."

Mikamura placed a wrinkled hand on the top of the box and lifted the lid away, revealing sixteen black vials, with a dark mist hovering from their sealed caps, "This is our answer to the question of how to manipulate one's inner ki freely, and allow one to tap into ALL of their stores of energy. I give you the key to the perfect warrior: _**Yoru no Shukufuku (Night's Blessing)**_."

Dead silence prevailed over the room as the assembled assassins eyed the bottles. Mikamura took their interest as a sign to continue, "This drink will activate the portion of the brain that regulates ki-control, and temporarily enable you to access all of your ki, bringing your bodies to peak condition and beyond. You'll have the strength of fifty men, the speed of a cheetah, the eyes of a hawk, and the cunning of the most dangerous of predators."

The doctor's eyes narrowed, "However, the effects, as I've said are temporary. In all my previous tests, subjects that were exposed to the drug for longer than the advised time limit suffered from overtaxed muscles and rampant ki. The results…were NOT pretty, or painless in the least…"

"In other words, once we consume the _Yoru no Shukufuku_, we have until it burns out of our system to complete our attack," Ensui said after he bowed in thanks to the doctor, "Maybe even a little before that. We'll be deep in enemy territory and we'll have to retreat quickly should help for them arrive. There are Urashima scouts all over Okinawa, especially since one of their allies, the Otohime, have their main home there as well."

Kurotora took a breath to regain his stern composure before continuing, "As you all know…I haven't told my father and many of the higher ranked clan officials about this plan. While their hatred of those Mononobe bastards burn as strong as mine does, they stand to lose far too much if they even think of retaliation…when we do this…when we begin this attack," he paused for dramatic effect, the assassins in the room glued to his words, "there'll be no turning back. We must NEVER be discovered when this is all through. Should anyone fall in this mission…they will be erased from our records, their remains destroyed down to the last strand of DNA before we set fire to the compound. This MUST look like a freak accident, or else the Tachibana will pay dearly…I can assure you of that…"

"As of this moment, you all must accept that if you die on this mission, you will be wiped from existence, to ensure the safety of our clan," Ensui continued, his voice low and emotionless, "to be linked with this massacre would bring chaos to us all. If you are truly prepared for this undertaking, step forward and take your vial from the case."

One by one, the assassins came forward and took a vial of the ki-enhancement drug from Mikamura, strapping it to their waists. Kurotora and Ensui took the last two vials for themselves.

"You know the plan…what we intend to do…and the consequences of our actions should they ever be discovered. For now, go to your families, your loved ones, and spend what remains of your free time with them. We leave in three days." Ensui dismissed them, and one by one they filed out of the room, until it was just him and Kurotora left.

"I know it's probably pointless to ask you this again," Kurotora hesitantly addressed the commander, "but are you absolutely sure you wanna do this? You've been friends with Father for decades…this is technically betraying him."

"It's the same as you betraying the emperor's unofficial order to right the wrong of hundreds of years, Kurotora-kun," Ensui walked over and placed both hands on the boy's shoulders, "I have my own personal stake in this. As much as I respect and love your father like the brother I never had…I can't let my own ax to grind with the Mononobe clan go."

"Yea…I remember the stories…it was little Kyo's bastard father that gave you that scar in the tournament 20 years ago," Kurotora's eyes glazed over in memory of the time he heard of Ensui's tragedy-strewn past, "and then there was the Hokkaido incident seven years ago…"

Ensui's eyes darkened, his grip on the boy's shoulders gradually tightening as the terrible memories he fought to bury came rushing to the forefront, "They were ordered by the government agents to have our back when we were given the mission to eliminate those Yakuza bastards, but they left us to die…Mari…Suzuka…Hiro…they paid the price for the Mononobe's cowardice," unfiltered agony bled into the commander's voice as he spoke those names.

"They'll be avenged…every last one of them will be avenged," Kurotora said with a revolting smile, malignance present in his eyes, "Anyway, it's getting late. We better go."

"Are you heading back to your room? I can walk you there," Ensui offered, but the Tachibana heir raised a hand.

"Thank you, Ensui-jisan," Ensui smiled a bit at the rarely-used affectionate title, "but I have a stop to make before I turn in."

The commander's eyes grew downcast as he saw the direction Kurotora walked in, and silently he cursed the gods for the pain they had brought down upon the poor boy.

'_Another visit to her, huh kid?'_

* * *

><p>Kurotora walked down a dimly lit hall with a single door at the end. Pausing in front of it, he took a breath before slowly opening the door and walking into the room. Inside was absolutely frigid, with pale-blue frost covering the floors and walls. The freezer was barren of any occupants save for two fixtures in the center: an oval-shaped capsule, and a low table with a glass case on top of it.<p>

Within the capsule was the body of a woman with wild, flowing crimson hair and pale skin, perfectly preserved by the glacial temperatures inside the capsule. She was of medium height, with a large bust and shapely legs that were barely hinted at in the long black and red dress kimono wrapped around her body. Her arms were placed so that her hands crossed over and lay on the opposite shoulder. A look of eternal calm was on her face, though Kurotora knew that she had been anything but serene when she was alive.

"…Mother…" he addressed her, voice thick with emotion, "I'm sorry I haven't been around as much this week…things around her have been pretty crazy…but don't worry…what those bastards did to you…to our clan…I'm gonna finally set things right…"

Kurotora paused to wipe the tears now dropping from his eyes. He could never enter the final resting place of his mother and speak to her without crying, even after she'd been dead for half a decade, "…they kept insisting it was a training accident…a sparring match gone wrong…but I know better…we ALL know better…!" He tried to calm himself and not lose to the rage that burned beneath his skin like an inferno, demanding to be released, "They were afraid of your power…afraid of your skill…afraid of YOU…well, they're gonna learn they were right to be…"

The mourning boy walked forward and placed a hand on the capsule encasing his mother, a demented light in his eyes, "In a few days…we're gonna wipe em all out…just like you always wanted back then…but I'm gonna need your help…" he glanced over at the glass case on the table next to the capsule.

Inside the case was an elaborate katana box, the lid raised to reveal one of the finest looking swords ever created. The blade itself was black, but had an indescribably attractive luster to it, a tsuba in the shape of a snowflake, and a red handle with yellow ray skin wrapped around it for grip. The scabbard was black with elegant yellow designs depicting a fierce snowstorm. The plaque on the bottom of the box revealed the name of the sinfully beautiful blade: _Juuchi Yosamu (10,000 Cold Nights)_.

"…yea…I think your blade'll be the perfect partner…"

* * *

><p>Three days came and went quickly, and although it seemed like an eternity to an impatient Kyoshiro, it was finally the night of the victory celebration. The main hall of the compound was filled with streamers and flags in the clan colors, as members of the Mononobe clan, from famed forgers and arms manufacturers, to renowned soldiers and military leaders congregated together. Everywhere the boy looked, he spotted family members having a blast, either drinking and joking around, taking in the view of the gardens outside, or sneaking off with significant others to enjoy some "alone" time.<p>

"Well…looks like that's one wing of the house I'm gonna have to keep Saya-chan from going to…"

Speaking of the excitable young girl, Saya was playing with some of the younger Mononobe children in the yard, laughing up a storm and dirtying the adorable white and blue kimono she'd worn for the festivities. From what Kyoshiro could tell, they were starting a game of tag, with one of his younger cousins being "it." Laughing to himself, the boy glided among the guests, who greeted him with hugs, handshakes, and congratulations. Making his way to the front, Kyoshiro found his father and mother seated at the head table, laughing and joking with one of the guests. When Kazuya spotted him, he grinned and waved his son over.

"There's the man of the hour! Kyoshiro, over here son!"

Kyoshiro smiled at his father's antics and ran over to his side, where Kazuya stood and embraced him in an unexpected hug. "Dad? What are you doing?"

"What, I need a reason to hug my first born now?" Kazuya said in mock hurt, but the smile on his face gave him away, "I remember when you were smaller…you couldn't get enough hugs from your old man!"

Kyoshiro blushed, but still returned the older man's hug, "….d-did you REALLY have to bring that up?! In front of everyone?" he admonished, but there was no real heat in his voice.

Sakuya watched the bonding moment and giggled, "Oh you know how your father is once he gets a few drinks into his system…"

"Oi! I am NOT drunk! I'm good and sauced right now!" Kazuya looked back at his wife, who was now giving him a deadpanned stare, "…what?"

"Good and sauced? Only you would talk like a teenager two times younger than you," Sakuya shook her head and brushed a crease from her immaculate kimono. She'd chosen a sky blue silk kimono with intricate cloud patterns sewn into the material, along with a pure white obi. She'd worn very little make up as usual, only wearing eye liner and dark red lipstick.

"Hey, I'm still young!" Kazuya whined before leaning down to Sakuya's ear and whispering, "I'm pretty sure I showed you just how 'young' I am the other day after Kyo left for school…"

The buxom housewife blushed a beautiful crimson before reaching over the table and grabbing a glass of wine, Kazuya smirking at her reaction. In his haste to get back at his wife, however, he forgot that he'd still been holding onto Kyoshiro, who'd heard…well…_everything_.

"…I think I'm gonna be sick…" and the young boy quickly left his father's arms, a slight green tinge to his skin. Kazuya had the decency to look embarrassed, "Whoops! Sorry kiddo, forgot you were still there!"

Sakuya slapped her husband in the back of the head with a foldable fan, her embarrassed blush having become more pronounced, "Pay more attention next time, anata!"

"Awww, don't be like that Sakuya-chan!"

Kyoshiro couldn't help but laugh at his parents antics, and seeing his laughter, both Kazuya and Sakuya broke out into laughs of their own. Taking a moment to calm down, Kazuya turned to his wife, "Dear, could you get the gift for me? I think now's a good time for the main event."

Realizing what her husband was about to do, Sakuya stood up and gave Kyoshiro a hug before heading to hers and her husband's room. Once she was gone, the Mononobe clan head picked up a wine glass and used a spoon to lightly tap its side, "Everyone, may I have your attention for a quick second…well, longer than a second," his joke was met with a few laughs from those assembled, including the kids that had just come inside from their game, "As you know, we've once again come out on top against the Tachibana, and are now Imperial Guardians for the sixth straight time in a row!"

Thunderous applause and cheers roared from the crowd and many lauded praises upon their fellow clansmen who'd fought in the past tournament. Kazuya waited for them to quiet down before continuing, "In fact, it was my own son, the little prodigy in the making, Kyoshiro, who struck down the Tachibana heir in defeat, and even put the little bastard in his place when he tried to ambush him with a live katana!"

This time laughter accompanied the raucous cheers and Kyoshiro blushed a bit in embarrassment at the attention. "It wasn't THAT big a deal…any of you guys probably coulda disarmed him with how wild he was swinging…"

"Haha! He's being modest about it even now! How's that for a champion!" Kazuya wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder in a one-armed hug as the praise continued to flow from the crowd, "and that's exactly why I think it's time I give him something he's been dying for most of his life. These past three days I've seen a ton of progress with his ki training, and that, along with his victory, deserves one hell of a reward."

Kyoshiro looked at his father with a curious expression on his face, "Something I've wanted for a while? What are you talking about, Dad?"

Kazuya's only reply was another large grin.

* * *

><p>Several blurs moved quickly among the trees surrounding the compound of the Mononobe, their footsteps barely a whisper as they jumped from the branches. Gone were the vibrant red and yellow cloaks of their clan, leaving them all in only the black bodysuits and masks that helped them blend seamlessly into the night.<p>

Kurotora's heart was racing, adrenaline pumping through his veins and heightening his senses. Behind him, Ensui moved at an even pace, keeping a sharp eye out for any scouts in the area. They had run into a couple on their way, and had dealt with them swiftly.

"It looks like they're a bit lax on duty tonight, Kurotora-sama," the grizzled commander observed as they neared their destination, "guess that celebration of theirs really has all their attention."

"…that just makes eliminating them all the easier…" came the cold voice of the Tachibana heir. Just before they had left, Kurotora had stopped to make a quick trip to his mother's resting place to ask for her blessing and borrow the _Juuchi Yosamu_. His hand whispered over the hilt of the legendary ancient blade at his side for strength.

"Indeed. We should be there in another ten minutes at this pace," Ensui glanced behind him at the rest of their team. All fourteen assassins had managed to keep pace with the energetic heir and their commander, with none showing any signs of fatigue.

"Good. Everyone knows what to do when we get within sight of the compound. Let's hurry…we'll only have two hours after we drink the _Yoru no Shukufuku,_ and I can't wait to see little Kyo's face when he sees my 'gift' for him," a deranged smile came over the Tachibana prince's face and he stepped up his pace even further, pushing him away from the group. Ensui smiled viciously at his surrogate nephew's enthusiasm and increased his speed as well, anxious for the bloodbath to begin.

Unseen by Ensui and the others below, a lone scout bearing the crest of the Urashima on his sleeve quickly tore off his camouflage cover and took out a radio.

"Taichou, Scout 3 reporting in. Unidentified intruders are headed for the Mononobe Compound. Requesting immediate assistance."

* * *

><p>Shock was written on Kyoshiro's face as he watched his mother walk towards him, a long silver case in her hands. Kazuya had already taken a picture to preserve his reaction, and Saya was bouncing on her heels as she held onto her brother's hand, "Oi! Oi! What's in the box that kaa-san has?! Tell me! Tell me!"<p>

"…no way…no freaking way…" the boy was frozen in place, his mind nearly shutting down from seeing the case. He'd seen it plenty of times before, resting in a glass box in his parents' room. When he was four, he'd asked what was in the box, and his father had told him the story of two famous master swordsmiths, Muramasa and Masamune, and the challenge they'd had between each other to determine the greatest sword maker in the world. That day he learned of two legendary swords of unrivaled craftsmanship. Muramasa's blade: the malevolent katana _Juuchi Yosamu_, and Masamune's blade: the tranquil katana, _Yawarakai-te (Tender Hands)_.

_Yawarakai-te _was said to emit an aura of such serenity that it could calm the fiercest of animals, quell the angriest of hearts, and bring peace to the most disorganized mind. A pure white blade with a tsuba in the shape of a cherry blossom and an all-white handle with sky-blue ray skin wrapped around it. The pommel had a sky-blue tassel that hung freely from the edge, and the scabbard was also sky-blue with intricate white patterns depicting the flow of a gentle river. From the way his father described it, Masamune's creation was one of the most elegant, entrancing katana's ever conceived. Of course, with Kyoshiro being so young at the time, Kazuya fashioned a long winded tale explaining how the sword had been lost in the times. It wasn't until Kyoshiro had reached the tender age of 10 and began his advanced training that he learned the truth: that the next head of the clan would receive _Yawarakai-te_ when the current head felt they were ready.

Kazuya could only beam proudly as Sakuya presented the katana case to her bewildered son. He pulled Saya to the side, eliciting a frown from the young girl, but the father of two knew that Kyoshiro would want some peace to go with the moment. With shivering hands, the fourteen year old heir gently raised the lid of the case, and his eyes beheld a sight that would engrave itself in his memory forever.

It was _exactly _how his father had described it to him all those years ago, if not more beautiful. The sky-blue scabbard was blemish free and still shone as if freshly made, the white patters of a softly flowing river gleaming in the background. The tsuba was still in excellent condition, and the tassel hanging from the end of the pommel gently moved with the small breeze in the room. After some gentle coaxing from his mother, Kyoshiro reached a hand out and gripped the handle as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. The weight of the katana was light in his hand, and reaching with his other hand, he grabbed the scabbard and pulled it away. The room became aglow with intense white light as the blade was finally revealed after being sealed away for decades. Kazuya himself had to look away out of fear of being blinded.

"Sweet Buddha! I don't think it glowed THAT much when I first got it…"

Unafraid of the light, Kyoshiro peered past it to see the luminous white blade, still as sharp as it was the day it was forged, with no imperfections or signs of age despite being over hundreds of years old. "…Dad…it's…it's beautiful…"

"Preeeetyyyyyyy," Saya trailed off as her eyes glued themselves the katana in her brother's hands, "I want a sword like that too!"

"I really don't think you need a katana…let alone one like that," Kazuya commented, earning him a glare from his youngest child. He laughed it off and turned back to face Kyoshiro, "Hey son, I know you like the blade and all, but for the sake of everyone's eyes, please put it awa-"

Kazuya trailed off as several objects crashed through the windows around the main room, screams and shouts of surprise echoing in the air. Kyoshiro was also shocked out of his reverie, and quickly sheathed the blade. "What the hell was that?!"

Before anyone could get their bearings, the objects, which looked like black canisters of some sort, began to spew a foul-looking green gas that quickly enveloped the room. Those who breathed in the fumes by accident began coughing uncontrollably.

"W-what is this?!"

"The gas…I-I can't…m-move my arms for some reason…"

"It's affecting my legs too! What the hell is going on?!"

Kazuya was the first to realize what was happening, "Don't breathe in the gas! It has a mild paralyzing agent in it! Guards, find out where-"

The Mononobe clan was interrupted by a different sound this time, one that chilled his bones: the sound of a blade slicing through skin and blood being sprayed onto the floor. It was accompanied by another scream that was cut short as the source was silenced by a kunai to the throat.

"Who are you-AARRRGH!"

"KAZUYA-SAMA! INTRU-grrrghglgg!"

Kazuya grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and tied it over his mouth before unsheathing the blade at his side, "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK BY ASSASSINS! EVERYONE WHO'S STILL ABLE, DRAW EM OUT AND PUT THEM DOWN!"

The Mononobe clan members still able to fight quickly drew their blades and began to combat the assassins. They still held the numerical advantage, and began to push a few of the assassins back. Kazuya turned to Kyoshiro, who had his blade out and face masked with a scarf he found, "Kyoshiro! Find your mother and Saya, and take them to our wing of the compound! They'll be safer there!"

"What about you?!" the young heir was livid, his body shaking with repressed anger, "I want a piece of these bastards, and I'm not leaving you to fight em alone!"

"Protect your mother and sister first! THEY'RE your priority!" The Mononobe clan head gave his son a meaningful glare, and after a moment of hesitation, Kyoshiro turned and ran off to find his mother and sister. Once the boy was out of eyesight, Kazuya ran into the smoke and tried to find an assassin to engage. It wasn't long before he found one in combat with at least seven Mononobe samurai. The clan head prepared to engage, when he spotted the assassin grab something from his side…a vial of some kind, and drank from it.

What came next happened in an instant: one moment the Mononobe swordsmen were closing in to finish of the assassin, and the next they were blown back by a massive wave of ki erupting from the enemy. The masked assassin screamed and laughed maniacally as he felt the limits of his body give way to an unfathomable power. Reining himself in, he took up his blade and vanished in a burst of speed. Kazuya could only watch in paralyzed shock as the seven clansmen were viciously cut down in seconds.

"What…what kind of madness is this? No one should have that much ki! No one!" The clan head braced himself as the assassin finished off the last swordsman, slicing him into bloody chunks and rendering him barely recognizable as a human. Flinging the blood off his sword, the masked enemy turned to Kazuya and sped towards him. The Mononobe clan head blocked to the best of his ability, but the assassin was far too swift, scoring a long gash on Kazuya's left arm and another on his right leg. A pained hiss left the clan head's mouth, but he pushed the stinging sensation of his wounds away from his senses and focused completely on the assassin. Steeling himself for another assault, Kazuya was shocked when one of his other clansmen tackled the assassin, both of them tumbling out of sight. A hand on his shoulder pulled his attention to a heavily wounded guard next to him.

"M-my lord…y-y-you have…t-to escape…t-these men are…demons…"

The guard's legs failed him, and Kazuya quickly grabbed him to steadily lower him to the ground, "What the hell is going on? Who's attacking us, do we know?"

The guard wheezed before answering, "W-we haven't been a-able…to identify them j-just yet. B-but there's sixteen of t-them…and t-they all d-drank some strange elixir…a-and erupted with a t-t-terrible ki…w-we're being slaughtered…even the women and c-childr…" the man said no more as he succumbed to his wounds.

Tears fell from Kazuya's eyes as he let the now deceased man's head rest on the ground, rage blossoming in his heart like a supernova. All around him he could hear the screams…his clansmen being cut down in droves by demonic enemies…women being slaughtered where they stood. Lifting his head from the ground, he was able to make out two children running in fear before a blade came from the haze and separated their heads from their bodies. The corpses fell to the ground, blood spewing from their necks like a fountain.

"…why…why is this happening…" he asked in a broken voice, watching the carnage unfold as the haze began to lift. He jumped when a deep voice answered him back, "Because you brought this upon yourselves."

The clan head got to his feet and faced the man behind him, an assassin clad in all black with a hood and mask hiding his hair and face. But his eyes were clear as day, burning with hatred and malice.

"Do you…have ANY idea…who the hell you're attacking?!" Kazuya raged as he gripped his blade tightly, the wounds on his arm and leg completely forgotten in the heat of the moment, "I'm gonna tear your fucking heart out…I'll slaughter every last ONE OF YOU!"

"You can sure as hell try," the assassin mocked him as he prepared his own blade, foul black ki beginning to ooze from his body like a miasma, "but the only ones dying tonight are you and your traitorous ilk…Zuzu-teme…"

Kazuya's eyes widened and his jaw clenched in shock. Only one person ever called him by that name, "…Ensui?"

His identity compromised, Ensui pulled the hood and mask from his face, confirming Kazuya's fears about the attack. Upon seeing the deranged smirk and the gleeful eyes of his opponent, the Mononobe's eyes shifted from brown to bloody crimson as he tapped into his own reserves of ki.

"TAAACHIIIBAAAANAAAAAA!"

* * *

><p>Kyoshiro ran through the haze-filled compound, fear etched into his eyes as he did his best to avoid the assassins fighting…no, <em>decimating <em>his kin all around him. He'd seen one of them drink some strange concoction before unleashing the most repugnant ki he'd ever felt in his life, and proceeded to utterly annihilate his fellow Mononobe clansmen. The petrified heir bolted as soon as he saw one of his own lose his arms in a spray of red, followed by his legs and finally his head.

'_This is insane! What…what the HELL are these things?! Demons?!'_

He couldn't come up with a better way to describe the beasts that the enemy had become after consuming whatever that liquid was. Regardless of the mess his thoughts had become, the Mononobe heir forced himself to follow his father's last orders. Reaching one of the opposite wings of the compound, Kyoshiro was able to hear the sound of crying coming from one of the rooms. Slamming the door open, he spotted Saya crouched in a corner, her kimono stained with blood that wasn't hers, and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Saya-chan! Are you alright?!" Kyoshiro bounded towards her, a mix of worry and relief evident on his face, "I've been looking all over the damn place for you!"

Saya, realizing it was her brother that had found her, jumped up and tackled his midsection, squeezing his waist tightly as she held onto him for dear life, "Kyo-nii! W-w-what's happening?!"

Kyoshiro knelt down and hugged her close to soothe her, "I have no idea…they came outta nowhere and started attacking, and a lot of our family have been killed."

"But why?! Kyo-nii, why are people attacking us?!" the frantic and fearful tone in her voice nearly broke the young warrior's heart as he held his crying sister to his chest, unable to come up with a good answer.

"I have no idea, sis, but we gotta go find mom. Once we get her, we'll grab dad and escape," Kyoshiro pulled away a bit so he could see his sister's face. Anger rose in his heart when he saw the fear in her eyes and more tears fall down her face, but he pushed it down and did his best to look strong for her, "so don't worry about a thing. We're gonna be just fine. Now let's go find mom."

"k-kay," came the hesitant reply from Saya as Kyoshiro picked her up and ran from the room. Turning down another hallway, he saw his parent's room come into view, "We're almost there, Saya-chan! We just gotta-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU BASTARD!"

Blood freezing in his veins, Kyoshiro recognized the terrified screams coming from his parents' room, and rushed towards it with Saya still in his arms. When he got to the door, he kicked it off its hinges and burst into the room. What he saw would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

Sakuya was kneeling on the floor, her once elegant kimono soaked with blood and torn in several places, her chest nearly exposed with small gashes on the swells of her breasts, her arms and legs bleeding from several different cuts, and her hair matted to her forehead, unkempt from her struggling. In her hands were two small daggers that she'd used to fend off her attacker. Standing above her was a young man, who looked to be Kyoshiro's age judging from his height, dressed in all black with a hood and mask hiding his hair and facial features. In the low light, Kyoshiro couldn't make out the man's eyes, but he could feel the malicious ki rolling off the assassin in waves, even more so than he felt from the other assassins he'd passed. In the assailant's hand was a katana with a black blade, blood dripping from the tip. His _mother's_ blood.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Kyoshiro screamed as he put Saya down outside and drew his practice sword, _Yawarakai-te _still sheathed on his hip. The masked assassin turned to face him, before Sakuya screamed at her son, "Kyoshiro! Get away from here! Take Saya and run!"

"I'm not gonna leave you here mom! Dad told me to get you!"

"FORGET ABOUT ME! JUST RUN AWAY!"

The mysterious assassin flung the blood from his blade and sheathed it before laughing, earning a baleful glare from Kyoshiro, "I was wondering when I'd run into you…little Kyo."

Kyoshiro froze at the nickname, denial spreading across his face, "No…there's no fucking way…"

"Oh, your eyes aren't playin tricks on ya…here, I'll show you," the assassin slowly removed the hood from his head, revealing his wild, crimson hair. He then pulled down his mask and lifted his head to reveal tan skin, and golden yellow eyes that were shaped almost like a feline's.

Seeing the face of the assassin all but confirmed Kyoshiro's suspicion, and revealed the identity of those attacking his family, "Kurotora…are you FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

"Kurotora…" Sakuya gasped in shock and rose to her feet unsteadily as she took in the face of the assassin. Before anyone could react to the revelation, Kurotora disappeared in a blur before reappearing behind the wounded mother of two and wrapping his arm around her throat. Sakuya tried to break free, but Kurotora roughly placed one finger from his free hand into a large wound on her arm and began pumping his dark ki into her veins. Soon, all her movement became sluggish, before stopping altogether. "W-w-what foul madness is this?! What've you done to me?!"

Kurotora laughed before turning Sakuya's now unresponsive body towards Kyoshiro, using her as a shield, "Oh, nothing too major…I just used my ki to nullify the muscles in your body except your heart. You can't move a thing except your eyes and mouth, but you can still _feel_ everything."

Kyoshiro felt a cold dread at Kurotora's words, and raised his sword at the Tachibana heir, "You sick, twisted sonuvabitch…get the HELL away from my mom you demented fuck!"

"Now, is that any way to be talking to the guy holding your whore mother hostage?" Kurotora replied in a sinister voice before looking lewdly at Sakuya's exposed flesh, her kimono barely being held up anymore due to its missing obi, "and what a delicious-looking whore too…"

Using his free hand, the deranged Tachibana roughly shoved his hand into the folds of Sakuya's tattered kimono and fondled her naked breast, causing Sakuya to moan in disgust and anger, "G-get your hands offa me you perverted demon! K-Kazuya-kun will have your head f-for this!"

"Woowww…you're a LOT more than a handful…that kimono was hiding all this?" Kurotora looked on in sick pleasure as he continued to palm and grab at the woman's breast before taking his hand out and using it to pull out a kunai, "Let's see what else is under here!"

Kyoshiro rushed forward but was forced to stop when Kurotora placed the kunai in front of Sakuya's neck, the point breaking skin and allowing a small drop of blood to fall down her elegant neck, "I wouldn't move from that spot, little Kyo…just let me have my fun for a while. I'll kill you all in due time…"

With a quick motion of his hand, Kurotora sliced the shoulders of the kimono open, causing it to fall and leave Sakuya completely bare before him. Kyoshiro's rage peaked as he was forced to watch Kurotora shamefully disrobe his mother and resume his perverted exploration, "DAMN YOU! IS THIS HOW YOU GET YOUR FUCKING KICKS, YOU PSYCHOTIC BASTARD?! I'LL FUCKING MURDER YOU, KUROTORA!"

"Damn, you have smooth skin…and these boobs are HUGE!" Kurotora laughed with dark glee as his hand ventured further south, Sakuya crying tears of shame at her powerlessness, "I wonder how down here must feel…you should be honored to be the first woman I've explored so thoroughly Mononobe whore."

"JUST STOP THIS MADNESS KUROTORA, PLEASE!" Sakuya's screams only emboldened the Tachibana heir further and his hand crept further down before stopping just before her entrance.

"…on second thought, you're used goods…especially since you sired that filth over there," Kurotora sneered and removed his hand, before taking notice of the new addition to the room, "Oh, hello there little girl!"

Kyoshiro whirled around and saw Saya standing at the door, frozen in fear as she saw her mother standing naked and helpless in Kurotora's grasp, "K-k-kaa-san? Wh-wha…"

"Saya, get out of here! Don't look!" Kyoshiro screamed, causing Kurotora to break out into malicious laughter.

"Oh, but she'll miss the best part!" Moving quickly, Kurotora unsheathed his dark blade again held it behind Sakuya's back. Kyoshiro's eyes met his for an instant, and widened in fear when he saw the evil intent in the Tachibana's eyes, "Kurotora…please…don't…"

The Mononobe heir's pleas went unanswered, as Kurotora shoved his blade through Sakuya's heart from behind, and the woman whispered with her last breath, "K-Kyo…"

"MOTHEEEEERRRR!" Agony erupted in Kyoshiro's heart as he saw the life drain from Sakuya's eyes. He didn't even notice the shrill scream of terror that came from Saya behind him as he rushed forward, intent on ending Kurotora's life. The Tachibana heir was ready for him, however, and flung Sakuya's corpse from his blade before lunging towards the enraged Kyoshiro, black ki enhancing his strength several fold. Unaware of the power boost, Kyoshiro was unprepared for Kurotora's strike, and when their blades met, the black edge of _Juuchi Yosamu_ sliced through the dull steel of Kyoshiro's iaito like a knife through butter. The force of the blow saved Kyoshiro's life, as he was flung from the room into the hall, crashing against the opposite wall with enough force to leave a large dent. The last thing the Mononobe saw before everything went dark was Saya running over to him, screaming his name.

* * *

><p>A sharp kick to the stomach brought the unconscious Kyoshiro back into the land of the living. The first thing he took notice of was the smell of something burning, followed by the feeling of an intense heat all around him. Opening his eyes slowly, he found the source of the heat: the compound burning.<p>

"W-what the…"

"So you're awake, little Kyo. Took you long enough."

Kyoshiro quickly rose to his feet and whirled around to see Kurotora giving him a condescending smirk. The wounded Mononobe's rage returned with a vengeance, "Kurotora! You…you…"

"I…I what? Finally showed you how weak you and the rest of you fucking Mononbe are? Speaking of which…have you noticed that it's a bit quiet around here?" The smirk turned into a full-fledged grin, one that filled Kyoshiro with dread. Hesitantly, he looked around the room…and quickly wished he hadn't.

"No…wha…what the…" his face paled and his eyes widened as he beheld the sight before him. Dozens of bodies littered the ground, some with grievous wounds, and others barely even recognizable as people. Men, women, even children lay motionless on the ground as fire raged all around, "What….WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE! KUROTORA!"

"I did what my father and our other ancestors should've done centuries ago," Kurotora replied with pure hatred in his voice, "You Mononobe dogs have sat on your high horse for too damn long…and your sins have gone unpunished for even longer."

Kyoshiro turned to face him, ignoring the pain from his wounds as his rage began to surface, "What SINS are you even going on about, you fucking psychopath!"

"Shaming my clan for one! Leaving Ensui-jisan's friends and wife to die to the Yakuza for another!" Kurotora paused, a tear running down his face before he looked at Kyoshiro with such pure agony and malice that the Mononobe heir recoiled, "but the worst of all…the most fucked up of all…MURDERING MY MOTHER!"

"What the fuck are you on about?! Dad would…Dad would NEVER allow such a breach in the pact!" Kyoshiro rebuked in a broken voice, unable to keep the pain hidden.

"Oh…you mean _this _Dad, Kyoshiro-_kun_?"

Turning to face the new comer, Kyoshiro was met with the sight of Ensui walking among the flames towards them. Over his shoulder, he carried a sobbing, unresisting Saya, and held up in his other hand…

"….Dad…? No…no, no, no, no, NO, NOO!" Kyoshiro nearly shut down as he saw Ensui toss the decapitated head of Kazuya Mononobe at his feet. Kurotora broke out into laughter at the sight, "Oh, now that's fucking AWESOME! I hope he didn't give you too much trouble, Ensui-ji."

"He activated the blood curse…took me and three others to take him down," Ensui spat on Kazuya's head before tossing Saya down in front of Kurotora, the Tachibana heir giving her a cold look.

"Well, so much for the great blood curse," Kurotora then picked something up from the ground beside him, "here, let's make it a full set," he said before throwing another object down at Kyoshiro's feet. Tears of rage and soul-rending agony fell from the defeated heir's eyes as he took in the sight of Sakuya's head next to his father's, her last expression one of pain and helplessness.

"…M-mother…" his legs could support him no more, and he fell to his knees, hands shakily reaching out to the remains of his parents. Saya, seeing her brother so thoroughly broken, unsteadily rose to her feet and walked over to him, "K-Kyo-nii…"

Hearing his name, Kyoshiro lifted his head to see Saya walking towards him, the girl uncaring of whether she stepped in fire or not. The Mononobe heir tried to motion to her to escape, desperate to save at least one member of his family, "SAYA RUN! GET OUTTA HERE! PLEASE! JUST RUN AWAY!"

"K-Kyo-nii…they're…t-they're all…" Saya couldn't even finish as she took in the bodies lying on the ground, nearly losing her wits when she spotted the mutilated corpses of her cousins with whom she'd been playing with only hours ago. Kurotora sneered, "That's not true…they're not _all_ dead yet…"

Kyoshiro's eyes widened, and released a heart-wrenching scream of pain as the Tachibana heir quickly ran up to Saya's back and gripped the top of her head, before thrusting the dark _Juuchi Yosamu_ through her heart, just as he did to her mother. The little girl's eyes widened in pain, unable to scream as she choked on her own blood. Ensui smirked at the sight, "Well…that was pretty merciless, huh Kurotora-kun?"

"…not merciless enough for these fuckers," Kurotora quickly pulled the dark katana from Saya's throat before pushing her towards Kyoshiro, where she finally fell into his arms. Kyoshiro could only hold her as she continued to choke, crying in agony, her tears mixing with the blood from her fatal wound.

"S-Saya-chan…I-I told you to r-run…w-why…" he wept bitterly as the dying girl weakly raised her hand to his cheek, rubbing it softly, before uttering her final words.

"…Kyo-nii…_aishiteru_…"

Kyoshiro let out a bitter scream of loss as Saya closed her eyes forever, while Kurotora sniggered at the sight of the last Mononobe daughter passing on, "Hah! And then there was one."

Walking up to the kneeling Kyoshiro, who was holding Saya's rapidly cooling body close to him, Kurotora slowly brought up his sword, "Finally…I can tell Mother that vengeance has been served…Look at me, little Kyo! I wanna watch your eyes as you die!"

Kyoshiro didn't move at first, but slowly, he lifted his head to face Kurotora, but when the Tachibana heir saw Kyoshiro's eyes, he recoiled, fear spreading throughout his body like a virus as he took in the wounded Mononobe heir's _crimson _eyes. Wasting no time, Kurotora plunged his blade into Kyoshiro's stomach, but even with such a serious wound, the light in Kyoshiro's eyes didn't dim. Crimson bored into golden-yellow as Kyoshiro seared the image of his clan's murderer into his mind.

Ensui ran up to the two and grabbed Kurotora's shoulder, "We have to go, now! One of our men just got wind of a detachment of Urashima clan members rushing here. If we're caught, then this will all be for nothing!"

Kurotora nodded numbly and pulled his blade from Kyoshiro's stomach, the boy not even letting out a pained grunt as he looked hatefully at his family's killers, watching them quickly escape the burning compound with their cohorts. Heedless of the blood gushing from his wound, or the flames encroaching on him, Kyoshiro still knelt, clutching Saya's still form to him with the heads of his mother and father lying next to his feet, and glared at the spot the Tachibana heir had vacated not long ago.

"…Ku…ro…to…ra…"

* * *

><p>"…My…God…"<p>

The sight that welcomed the Urashima contingent was a devastating one. The entire Mononobe compound had burned to the ground, blackened support beams and partially standing walls were all that remained of the once mighty super structure.

"What in the world happened here?" one scout asked as he looked around, unable to process the destruction.

"Nevermind that, start looking for survivors! We're under strict orders to help anyone still alive!" yelled the commander as he bottled up his emotions and steeled himself for the task at hand, "Now move it!"

The next few hours saw the Urashima contingent digging through the rubble and scouring the ruins, desperately searching for any signs of life. What they found were the charred skeletal remains of their branch clan members, along with weapons, and a few personal items that escaped the blaze. As the day wore on, any hope of finding survivors diminished, and the search and rescue mission became collecting the remains of the dead to be identified and buried later.

The commander sighed; shaking his head in defeat as one subordinate reported that their search in another wing of the ruins had come up empty. Cringing at the prospect of delivering such disheartening news to Hina, he looked up at his grim-faced officer, "Understood…tell the others to grab as much of the remains as they can. We'll identify them later, and then we'll-"

"SIR! I-I FOUND ONE! A SURVIVOR! HURRY, HE WON'T LAST MUCH LONGER!"

The commander, and several of the rescue party, jumped at the news and rushed over to the remnants of the main hall, where they found one of their scouts along with their discovery.

He was barely breathing, his body knelt on the ground with a terrible wound to the stomach. Clutched to his chest was the body of a young girl, no older than 10, and to his side were the surprisingly intact heads of a man and woman. The commander looked in shock as he saw that the boy was kneeling at the center of a circle that spread out no further than 3 feet from him, and everything within the circle had survived unmolested by the flames.

"Sweet Buddha…" the commander trailed off before turning to the scout, "Why the hell haven't you moved to help him!? He needs medical assistance NOW!"

"I-I tried to sir," the scout replied shakily, "b-but when I moved to get the body of the girl, he just looked at me and…and…Gods above…I never wanna see those eyes again!"

Scoffing at the scout, the commander walked slowly towards the boy, who was still breathing harshly. Kneeling in front of him, he said in the most soothing voice he could, "Hey kiddo…it's alright. You're surrounded by allies now. I can't even imagine what you must've gone through, but we want to help you."

Seeing the boy still being unresponsive, he gently reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder lightly, as if the wounded boy would break if he pressed down too hard, "I don't know who she was to you, and I can't even think of comprehending your pain…but you have to let her go, kid. She's already gone."

The boy shivered, before slowly lifting up his head to face the commander. When they locked eyes, the commander felt fear the likes of which he'd never experienced. Hateful crimson eyes held him hostage, even as the light began to dim from them.

The commander didn't move as those eyes examined every detail of him, knowing if the boy felt any threat from him at all, he'd react violently regardless of his wounds. Seconds went by, then minutes, but they felt endless to the commander. Finally, the boy slowly lowered his head, and loosened the hold on the body in his arms. The commander slowly reached out and took the girl's corpse, treating it reverently, before handing it off to one of his subordinates to the side. His burden relieved, the boy closed his eyes and lost consciousness, falling into the commander's arms.

"GET A STRETCHER AND THE MEDICS HERE NOW!"

* * *

><p>Hina shook her head morosely as she listened to the report delivered to her by her commander, her heart battling denial regarding the tragedy that had transpired the night before. It was early evening when the recovery team returned from the Mononobe compound, with several wagons filled with the remains of deceased clansmen. One wagon had been cordoned off and separated from the rest, at the Urashima clan head's request. Hina had been the first to see its contents as two Urashima clansmen came out holding a stretcher with the covered body of Saya Mononobe, followed by two bags that held all that was left of Kazuya and Sakuya Mononobe. She openly wept as she saw the former clan head's name on one of the bags, her soul ripped in two at the loss of someone who was like a second son to her. Haruka stood next to her, also crying silently as they beheld the fate of their dear branch clan.<p>

"How…how the hell could they just…" Haruka asked no one, watching solemnly as the scouts took the remains to one of the freezers in the compound to preserve them until they could be examined and formally buried.

Hina didn't have an answer for her adopted daughter at the time, but now with the findings of her men, she could paint a bit of a picture. Although it was made to look like an accident, her men had found signs of a large struggle. That, along with the condition of the remains of the main family confirmed that this was the work of enemy assassins. The identity of those responsible, however, was still a mystery.

"Thank you commander, you've done well," she complimented the disheveled looking man, who merely bowed in thanks; "I want you and your men to take the next few days off. I can't imagine the stress you've just gone through."

"No task is too great for us, Hina-sama," the commander said before he frowned at the ground, "…will…will the boy be ok?"

Hina hid a grimace as she answered, "Physically, he will make a full recovery, as the stab wound missed his vitals…but mentally, only time will tell. Kyoshiro-kun has survived an ordeal that no child his age should ever have to go through…I can only pray he can recover from this."

"As do I," the commander shivered as he thought back to when he found the near-dead Mononobe heir, "…it was haunting…the look in his eyes…what a terrible way to manifest the curse…"

"You must let no one know what you saw in his eyes, commander!" Hina ordered as she gave him a stern look, "If anyone outside of your team or our clan asks, Kyoshiro Mononobe died with his family, understood?"

The commander nodded, "Of course, Hina-sama. Will you require anything else?"

"No, you have served the clan well. Go take your rest," she dismissed. After he left, Hina leaned back into her plush chair and sighed, feeling every year of her age as she wiped the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Before she could relax a bit more, a soft knock rapped at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me granny," came the familiar voice of Haruka, "I just wanted to let you know…the Aoyamas are here."

Hina's mood dropped even further, but taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for what needed to be done, "Very well…tell them I'm on my way now."

* * *

><p>"…well Mother…it's over…your murderers finally got what was comin to em…"<p>

Kurotora had returned only hours ago from his grisly task, and the first place he'd gone after destroying any and all evidence of his actions was to his mother's resting place. Word had spread quickly around the Tachibana compound regarding the massacre of the Mononobe clan, and the majority of the clan were beside themselves with glee, though they were wise enough not to show it. The emperor had already temporarily filled the position of Imperial Guardians with several powerful and high ranking Tachibana clansmen until the culprits behind the tragedy were captured. Heihachi was busy with reorganizing the clan's affairs and preparing to head to the palace where he would meet with the emperor and receive command of the Imperial Guardian task force. This left the Tachibana heir a bit of time to pay his respects to his deceased mother.

"Using your sword to end their pathetic lives…hell…I knew it was powerful, but I had no idea that it could resonate with me so well," Kurotora held the blade lovingly, the crazed look in his eyes replaced with a look of genuine fondness, "but it belongs here…with you. I won't tarnish it with the blood of mongrels ever again."

Opening the case where it once resided, Kurotora took care to polish and wipe away any fingerprints or anything that could be traced back to him, before placing _Juuchi Yosamu_ back in the sword box and resealing the case. He knelt for a moment to say a few silent prayers to his mother and to thank her for her blessings, before rising to his feet, "…you can come out now…I'm not the dull kid I used to be…you made sure of that."

"…I suppose I did," the deep baritone voice of Heihachi echoed in the room as the Tachibana clan head, soon to be Imperial Guard Commander, stepped out of the shadows and moved to the front of the capsule that held his beloved wife, "sometimes I wonder if I trained you too well."

"…are you upset at what I did?" the Tachibana heir questioned, knowing that his very life could be forfeit within the next few moments. Heihachi stood staring at the face of his wife for a few moments, not speaking a single word.

"…have I ever told you…what happened after your mother was struck down? How the Imperial Guards knocked me unconscious soon after?"

Kurotora looked at his father in confusion, "…I don't think you ever told me that part. Why did they-"

"Because the minute I put her down after she'd spoken her last words, I drew my sword against the one who killed her…that Mononobe trash," Heihachi's eyes darkened as he remembered that terrible day, his voice trembling with barely-restrained fury, "and I was only feet away from killing her, before Kazuya and his ilk struck me down."

Heihachi paused and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to calm himself, fighting against his rage, "For months afterwards, I plotted, I schemed, and I prayed to every deity to help me find a way to make them all suffer for taking Kikyo away from me…from _us_…but in the end my rationale and my fear won out," the clan head turned to his son, who was giving him a slightly stunned expression, "I knew if I ever tried to retaliate, it would mean the end of us. While the emperor never made the pact official or writ into law, we've been practicing that decennial tradition for so long, that to break it would bring everlasting shame upon the Tachibana. That was something I could not bring down upon us as clan head…even if it meant allowing Kikyo's murderers to go free."

The clan head walked over to his son and looked down at him, his face set like stone, "Should your deeds ever come into light…should anyone ever discover that it was _you_ who murdered the Mononobe…what would you do?"

Kurotora looked down for a moment to gather his thoughts, before looking his father dead in the eyes, golden yellow to golden yellow, and replied in a strong voice, "If that _does _happen, I'll tellem it was just me that was behind it. I didn't tell you anything because I swore to myself if I got caught, I'd take the fall," the boy began to shake a bit, fighting the tears that threatened to fall, "Even if it meant sacrificing my place in the clan…if I could send Mother's killers to their fucking graves…then I'd gladly burn in hell! Because…because…"

Heihachi hugged his son as he broke down in his arms, and after a few moments, Kurotora returned the embrace before finishing, "…because if I didn't kill them, how could I face Mother in the afterlife? It's like you always taught me…the clan before everything else…"

"…while a part of me is angry at what you've done…I am prouder beyond words at your bravery," Heihachi answered as he held his first-born, "and should that day come…whatever you decide to do…I will support you from the shadows."

They stayed in that embrace before Kikyo's capsule for a while, before Heihachi released the red-eyed heir and stood, "Imperial agents will most likely come around here to interrogate our clan and determine if any of them had anything to do with the massacre. You have alibis in place, I presume?"

Kurotora sniffled, before nodding, "Yea…their families and neighbors can vouch for the others and I…amazing what a few disguises and ki manipulation can do, huh dad?" he said with a malicious smile, one his father returned.

"Indeed…especially since we never told anyone about those particular tricks of ours. The emperor and his investigators shouldn't be a problem, especially since there'll be no proof," Heihachi turned his head to look at his late wife's favored blade, "…no proof except for that."

"I don't understand, I cleaned it perfectly and everything," Kurotora gave his father another confused look, "It's been restored to the condition it was before I took it from the case…"

"That it has, but the remnants of ki from your last kill are still present in the blade. I can feel it now," Heihachi closed his eyes as he focused on the feeling of foreign ki wafting off the blade, "…you killed someone with the blood curse, didn't you?"

Kurotora looked down, feeling a small twinge of fear at the reminder, "…Yea…little Kyo awakened it after I killed his stupid sister in front of him…I stabbed him in the stomach so he'd bleed out slow while the fire took care of the rest."

Heihachi nodded in understanding, "I see…it's a good thing he perished then. Awakening that foul curse so young…there's no telling how strong he could've been. Kazuya-teme awakened the curse only a couple of years ago on a mission for the emperor. In any case," the Tachibana clan head walked over to the case that held _Juuchi Yosamu_ and removed the sheathed katana. He then dug into his gi and removed a medium sized bottle with green liquid, "it's a very good thing that this blade is _not_ the real _Juuchi Yosamu_."

This revelation floored the boy, "Whaaaaaaat?! Whadayamean it's 'not the real one'? It looks and feels just like it! Mom used it enough around me back in the day for me to get a damn good read on its ki signature!"

Heihachi didn't explain with words, but simply removed the top of the bottle and poured the liquid over the blade. Kurotora watched on, his eyes widening by the second as the colors of the blade seemed to melt off the blade, a black mist of ki wafting off, until minutes later there was just a plain black ninjato in its place.

"Wh-wh-what the hell?! Dad!? What did you do?!"

"This is an ability of the _Juuchi Yosamu_ that is accessible to highly skilled ki manipulators. By taking a portion of its ki and transmuting it to another blade, that blade can take the form of the _Juuchi Yosamu_ for as long as its original ki is active," explained Heihachi as he replaced the bottle into his gi, "this liquid is a ki remover that we created in case we ever needed the blade to reform to its original state. That black ki you just saw was the remnants of ki from the original _Juuchi Yosamu_."

Kurotora was still shell-shocked, but understanding began to dawn in his mind, "So…I used a fake _Juuchi Yosamu_ that whole time?"

Heihachi shook his head, "Yes, and no. While this blade still held the ki of the _Juuchi Yosamu, _it temporarily assumed its form, but as it was a false replica, you could only access a small portion of the original blade's power. However, I believe you're missing the real picture," Heihachi gave his son a knowing look, "Since the investigators from the emperor will be asking to examine _Juuchi Yosamu, _we will give them _Juuchi Yosamu_ to examine…"

"…but it won't be the _Juuchi Yosamu_ that I used, it'll be the real one…" Kurotora's eyes lit up in comprehension, "and the real one DOESN'T have remnant ki from that punk Mononobe's blood curse!"

Heihachi gave the young boy a malicious grin, "In other words, this blade can be destroyed without issue, and your deeds will be buried in the annals of history as the work of a random group."

Kurotora chuckled for a moment, before it grew to a full on laugh, "Perfect…perfect…I didn't screw up afterall…"

Heihachi placed a hand on his son's head and looked at him proudly, "Quite the contrary, my son…your actions have put the Tachibana right where they belong…"

* * *

><p>Motoko's wails of despair could be heard throughout the entire Urashima compound, with many sharing in her tears of loss.<p>

A shrine maiden from the Shinmei-ryuu held the young girl as she wept bitterly, her spirit barely holding together in the face of such a profound loss.

"…Sempai…Sempai!…h-how could anyone…?!"

In another room down the hall, a slightly red-eyed Tsuruko sat in front of a kotatsu across from Haruka and Hina, the mug of tea in front of her having gone cold long ago.

"So it's true…the entire clan was wiped out in a single night…" she shook her head as tears threatened to fall again, "Such a horrible tragedy to befall such people."

"It wasn't a just a tragedy, Tsuruko-chan, it was _murder_," Haruka shivered next to the old woman from the frost in her voice, "And at the moment, we have no clue as to who's responsible for it."

"There was no evidence left at the site of the compound?" Tsuruko asked with mild disbelief. She refused to believe anyone could be careful enough to massacre a whole clan and leave no evidence to their identity.

"Whoever pulled this off knew exactly what to do, where to go, and the best way to hit them when they weren't looking," Haruka explained, lighting up another cigarette and taking a quick drag, much to Hina's disapproval, "While there aren't many pros out there that are that thorough, it doesn't really narrow down our list of suspects."

The elegant Aoyama sighed in defeat, "Well this does make things difficult…but you won't be searching alone. As the head of the Shinmei-ryuu and current heir to the Aoyama, I pledge the support of our family. We will not rest until the Mononobe's killers are brought to justice!"

Hina nodded, "I thank you for the support. We will let you know if we get any leads, and I also suggest that you keep an eye and ear out for any suspicious behavior from any of our rivals that may hint at their involvement."

Tsuruko nodded her agreement, and after one last sip of her tea, excused herself to return to the other room and console her heartbroken sister. When she was out of earshot, Haruka gave Hina a side-glance, "You didn't tell her."

Hina sighed and rubbed her temples, trying her best to stave off a headache, "While I know for a fact the Aoyama were not involved in any way with this tragedy, its best that Kyoshiro-kun's survival remain a secret. The murderers are still out there, after all. They may seek to finish the job."

"Let em try," Haruka growled, one hand clenching so tightly, her nails cut into her skin, "I'll take out anyone that tries to hurt him."

Hina placed a hand on Haruka's bleeding fist and gently opened it, "There will be a time for justice, Haru-chan. But we must not lose ourselves to revenge. To do so would only bring about further chaos to us all."

"…tell that to Kyo-kun when he wakes up," Haruka rose and walked out of the room, leaving Hina to mull over her last words.

"…indeed…that will be a difficult mountain to climb…"

* * *

><p><em>Fire…all around him, he could see flames rising from the ground, consuming everything in its path. Turning around frantically, he ran in search of his parents, while trying to shut out the sounds of the dying around him.<em>

_"MOM! DAD! SIS! WHERE ARE YOU!" he screamed, nearly choking on the smoke in the air. Turning down one hallway, he found his parent's room and burst into it, the doors flying off their hinges and into the flames within the room._

"_MOM! DA-"_

_His words caught in his throat, eyes widening as tears began to form. On top of a burning futon lay the heads of his mother and father, expressions of pain and anger forever engraved on their faces. The boy fell to his knees and screamed as agony gripped his heart._

"_It's not over yet, little Kyo…you're gonna miss the best part…"_

_Slowly turning around, the boy saw the figure of his hated rival, dressed in all black with his crimson hair flying about wildly, yellow feline-like eyes blazing with malice and hatred. A condescending, victorious smirk was plastered on his face as he held the body of a small girl by the back of her neck._

"_KYO-NIII!" _

"_SAYA-CHAN!"_

_The boy was too slow to react, as the red-headed man drew his sword, a katana with a black blade, and without hesitation plunged it into the little girl's back and through her chest. Her eyes widened as she cried out in pain, before the light in them dimmed. Her last breath came in a whisper._

"…_K-Kyo-nii…"_

_The boy on his knees could only watch as his enemy removed the blade from his last victim, the girl's body stumbling forward before slowly falling forward into his arms. His anguish giving way to an all-encompasing rage, the boy held the body of his sister tightly to him and shot the murderer his worst glare as he roared in rage._

"_KUUUROOOTOOORRRAAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

><p>Kyoshiro's eyes snapped open as he sprang up from the futon, his dark brown eyes darting around the room. It took a moment for him to calm down, unable to recognize his current environment.<p>

"Easy, Kyoshiro-kun…there's no need to fear, you're safe now."

Turning to face the familiar voice, Kyoshiro found the Urashima clan head sitting at the side of his futon, "…H-Hina-sama…" he said in a raspy voice.

Hina could barely hide the overwhelming sadness she felt at seeing the current state of the Mononobe heir. His hair was disheveled, bandages covered parts of his face, and when he sat up, she could see the bandaged stab wound on his stomach. Seeing the boy struggle to remain upright, she placed her hands on his back and chest to support him.

"Be careful Kyoshiro, you're still recovering from your wounds," she admonished, but her words had no bite to them, "It'll be some time before you're back to one hundred percent."

"…how long was I out…" the former heir asked tentatively, doing his best to calm the maelstrom of emotions he felt, "…where am I?"

"To answer your second question, you're at my clan's compound in Tokyo," Hina answered as she discreetly looked over the wounded boy to check for any unattended injuries, "as for your second question…it's been about two weeks since we recovered you from the remains of the Mononobe compound."

Kyoshiro fell silent at her words, taking in the news as best he could. Two weeks. Two weeks since the fire, since the murder of his family. His family…

"…Kurotora…" he whispered softly enough that Hina wasn't able to hear what he'd said.

"What was that, Kyoshiro-kun?" She asked, before nearly jumping back in fright at the animalistic growl that came from the now enraged boy.

"KUROTORA!" Kyoshiro thrashed around, trying to break free of Hina's grip and set out to rip his clan's killers apart, but the old woman was deceptively strong, and kept a firm hold on him.

"Stop Kyoshiro! You're only going to hurt yourself even further!" she ordered, but try as she might, the boy refused to calm down, "Stubborn boy, I…said…CALM DOWN!"

The power in her voice broke through the anger in Kyoshiro's mind, and he slowly came back to his senses, but his eyes still overflowed with hate and pain. Seeing him regain himself, Hina sighed in relief.

"Good boy," she began, "now then…you just yelled Kurotora's name in your little tantrum…am I to presume you mean Kurotora Tachibana?"

Kyoshiro didn't respond, but the clenching of his fists and the way his eyes darkened gave Hina her answer, "…tell me what you can remember from that night."

It took several moments before Kyoshiro began to speak in a dead voice, "…we were celebrating…everyone was hanging around drinking, joking, and just being…happy. Dad had just given me the best present ever…and then _they _came…"

Hina listened with rapt attention as Kyoshiro described the events that transpired when the attack began, from the strange enhancements of the enemy assassins, to seeing Kurotora defile and murder his mother, and finally to seeing Saya struck down and having her die in his arms. Through it all, Kyoshiro seemed lost…as thought everything beautiful in his life was gone. When he finished, Hina took a deep breath before fixing Kyoshiro with a stern look.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Kyoshiro. I must ask though, are you absolutely sure it was Kurotora who was responsible for this? It could have been an imposter."

The boy's eyes narrowed, "I'm certain…he was using a katana with a black blade…his mother's sword, _Juuchi Yosamu_. He stabbed me with it and I stared into his eyes as he pulled it out and left me for dead…" he paused again to take a breath and calm the overwhelming fury of the blood curse within him, "The blade will have remnants of my ki on it…then you'll have your answer."

"I'll send word to the Imperial Court right away about this," Hina's mood became somber, "…we haven't had a formal funeral to lay your family to rest yet…we were waiting for you to wake up. As the last Mononobe, you have full rights to decide what to do with their remains."

The boy looked at his lap, tears slowly beginning to form and drop from his eyes, "…I want them to return to Okinawa…all of them…it was our home…"

The mourning heir could say no more as he succumbed to the grips of anguish, weeping openly before the Urashima clan head. Hina embraced the boy and let him cry on her shoulder, as she struggled to retain her own tears. After several minutes, Kyoshiro leaned back from the embrace, "I'm sorry…Hina-obaasama…I shouldn't have…"

"Weaker men would have lost themselves completely to their sorrow if they had suffered as you have, child," Hina placed a withered hand on the boy's shoulder, "You have NOTHING to be sorry for."

"…thanks…" Kyoshiro replied in a small voice, "…is there anything else you wanna talk to me about?"

"There is, but as you have only just regained consciousness, a few of them can wait until after we lay your clan to rest," reaching behind her, Hina pulled out a black sword bag, "For now, I only wish to return these to you…they were the only weapons we found intact at the ruins."

Shakily reaching out and taking the bag, Kyoshiro untied the string holding it closed peered into it. Inside the bag were two blades: the sky-blue _Yawarakai-te_ he'd inherited, and a longer, slightly heavier blade in a navy blue scabbard. Pulling out the katana from the navy blue scabbard, Kyoshiro noticed the dark silver color of the blade.

"…This is…but how…" he could only examine the blade in shock, unable to grasp how it had survived the hell of that night.

"Kazuya always had a way with forging incredible swords…I think that one was his best work," Hina wiped another tear away from her eyes as she remembered how it was only weeks ago that she'd seen that katana strapped to Kazuya's side as he proudly watched his son do battle in the tournament, "We found it next to what we assume was the remains of his body. While the heads were protected by mysterious circumstances, their bodies unfortunately were lost to the flames. I'm sorry, Kyoshiro-kun."

Kyoshiro didn't respond immediately, only holding his father's sword and the _Yawarakai-te_ gingerly in his hands, both blades feeling heavy with sorrow. Only when Hina called out to him again did the boy turn to face her.

"Sorry, Hina-sama…could you give me a few moments alone…please?" the cresfallen tone of his voice broke Hina's heart, and after hugging him one more time, she rose from her seat and quietly left the room. Moments later, the sounds of bitter sobbing could be heard from the cracks in the door.

* * *

><p>It was about a week later that Kyoshiro was well enough to get out of bed and walk around, but despite being able to go almost anywhere in the compound, he chose to remain in his room. Most of his time was spent stewing over the massacre, meditating to control his blood curse, and looking after his two new blades. The day after his awakening, Hina had gone to the emperor with news of her findings, however she had fabricated a different story regarding how she came across the information, in order to hide Kyoshiro's survival. The emperor had given her leave to take his best detectives to the Tachibana main compound in Rumoi and interrogate the clan.<p>

'_I wonder what they'll do when they discover their treachery…'_ Kyoshiro thought as he sharpened his father's blade. Kazuya had called it _Ginokami (Silver Wolf)_ when he was still alive, and the boy decided to keep the name, and preserve Kazuya's memory.

'_Kurotora WILL die…of that I'm certain…no…' _Kyoshiro's thoughts trailed off for a moment, as his blood rage temporarily spiked, his eyes gaining a small tinge of red, _'No…that whole clan's hatred is what made that bastard…they'll ALL pay…'_ the rage began to bleed more into the boy's eyes, but stopped when a knock came at his door.

"Hey brat, you awake? I brought your breakfast," Haruka's lazy drawl drifted into the room, and Kyoshiro grunted, putting _Ginokami _onto the table he was sitting at and getting up to open the door. The lovely young woman strode inside with a tray containing steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and an odd addition of scrambled eggs. Setting the food on the kotatsu in the middle of the room, Haruka turned to give her distant cousin a blank stare.

"…You know, you really should get out of this room more…no one's seen you in couple days," she said lazily. Kyoshiro paid her no mind, and sat down in front of his food, taking a pair of chopsticks and placing pieces of the scrambled egg into his rice before mixing them together. Haruka raised an eyebrow at his odd action, "huh…never saw anyone mix those two before…"

"…Saya-chan and Dad did this all the time…" he answered softly, eyes on his food as he ate slowly, "Used to annoy the hell outta mom, but then she got into it too…everyone used to think we were weird…"

Haruka shrugged before continuing, "I guess it would be…and you're trying to change the topic. Seriously, you have a whole compound here to explore. Don't boys normally like to go exploring in places they've never been?"

"…you mean like Noriyasu-san?" came the smart remark from Kyoshiro, causing Haruka to blush slightly.

"…yea, kinda like that idiot I guess."

"…I'll pass. Besides, no one's supposed to know I'm alive, right?" Kyoshiro said bitterly as he picked up his bowl of rice and eggs and moved himself back to the desk to resume his work on _Ginokami_. Haruka sighed at his stubbornness and ran a hand through her hair.

"The only ones here at this compound are the same people who found you in that search, along with their families. Actually, at this point I think the only ones in the clan that don't know you're alive are my brother and his family, including Kanako," she paused as she remembered the feisty young girl, "…actually we may wanna tell them sooner or later…I know they were scared out of their minds when they heard about what happened, and I don't wanna know what Kanako may try to do…"

Kyoshiro gave a small snicker, the closest he came to laughing in almost three weeks, "Yea…I guess that would be a problem," he stopped his caretaking of his father's blade as he momentarily remembered the last time he'd seen the over-affectionate young girl. Kanako was two years older than Saya, but the two had gotten along swimmingly. There was no doubt in Kyoshiro's mind that Kanako was devastated at learning Saya's fate.

Haruka took a quick drag from her cancer stick, but before she could continue trying (and failing) to get the boy to go outside for once, a small commotion in the hallway grabbed their attention. They only had to wait a few minutes before Hina appeared in the doorway, a grim, defeated look on her face.

"Kyoshiro-kun…we need to talk."

* * *

><p>From the tone of her voice and the way she stood, the last Mononobe didn't think he'd like what he was about to hear.<p>

He was right.

"WHAT KINDA BULLSHIT IS THAT?!"

Hina rubbed her forehead and leaned back in her office chair as she observed Kyoshiro on the other side of the desk, Haruka standing by her side.

"I know it's difficult to believe, given everything that has happened, but the detectives sent by the emperor are the absolute best, and they found no evidence to support that the Tachibana are in any way connected to the murder of your clan."

"THEY'RE FUCKING LYING! I SAW KUROTORA! I FOUGHT HIM! HE MURDERED MY MOTHER AND SAYA RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!" Kyoshiro fumed, barely containing his outrage as it gnawed at his heart, "ENSUI WAS THE ONE THAT THREW MY FATHER'S HEAD AT MY FEET! AND HELD SAYA CAPTIVE UNTIL THAT MURDERING MOTHERFUCKER KILLED HER!"

"I know you told me that was what you saw, but every member of the Tachibana had a strong alibi. Heihachi said that Kurotora had been away with his cousins training near Fuji, a claim supported by everyone in the area, even those not loyal to the Tachibana."

"They can manipulate ki, dammit! They could disguise themselves as almost ANYONE!" the last Mononobe ranted, crimson beginning to bleed into his eyes, "And what about the sword?! What about_ Juuchi Yosamu_?! There's no way they could remove the remnant ki from it!"

"This is true," Hina began, but before Kyoshiro could capitalize, her next words stopped him cold, "but there _wasn't_ any remnant ki on that blade."

"…what?! Whadayamean?!" he asked frantically, confusion and anger battling within him, "He STABBED me with that blade! While I was all raged out!"

"I know…but we checked the blade ourselves…we even had a ki detection expert from the Aoyama examine it. Not only did it not have the remnant ki you speak of, but it hadn't even been used in decades. Almost a century even." Hina hated having come up to a dead end in the search for the Mononobe's killers, but the lack of evidence was plain as day.

Kyoshiro looked lost, unable to comprehend how Kurotora could have destroyed the evidence of his deed so completely. His fury returned with a vengeance and his eyes narrowed as he looked back to Hina and Haruka, "…then I guess that's it. I'll just have to settle this bullshit myself!" he rose from his chair and made to leave the room.

"You will do no such thing, Kyoshiro Mononobe!"

The order from Hina stopped the boy in his tracks, before he whirled on the Urashima clan head, hatred in his nearly-crimson orbs, "AND WHY THE FUCK NOT!?"

"Because for starters, you foolish boy, you haven't even fully recovered!" Hina met his stare unflinchingly, the strength in her glare almost overpowering the raging boy's, "How could you hope to face any of them when you can't even properly lift your blade?! And even if you could, you'd never be able to reach them anyway…"

At his confused stare, Hina elaborated, "Since the Mononobe clan is no more, the title of Imperial Guardians has now been officially granted to the Tachibana clan, and they quickly stationed their own kin all over the ranks. They have been officially recognized as the protectors and guardians of the Imperial Family. To attack them, let alone slay one of them, would be tantamount to treason of the highest order," the clan head allowed the revelation to sink into Kyoshiro's head for a few moments, continuing when his rage seemed to subside somewhat, "in other words, should you pursue this foolish venture, then not only will you be revealed to have lived, but your clan will be shamed, and you executed as a traitor to your country!"

Kyoshiro's head tilted toward the ground, his hair shadowing his eyes. Hina and Haruka watched him closely to see what he would do. They did nothing as he began shaking, although when they felt his ki begin to rise exponentially, they braced themselves for a violent retaliation.

"…I don't care…about the emperor…" began the boy as he fought the bitter tears trying to let loose from his eyes, "…I don't care…about the law…but for now…" his ki began to settle down, Haruka and Hina sighing in relief, "…I'll abide by what you say. You've taken me in, and kept me safe when there was no one else. For that…and that _alone_, I will heed your words, Urashima-sama."

Hina flinched at the formal title, realizing the boy was infuriated beyond comprehension, and only the honor of his family stopped him from acting out. But she could work with this for now, "Very well. I'm glad to see you're willing to cooperate with us. Rest assured, we will NOT stop until we get down to the bottom of this mystery. Until then however, I must ask a very difficult favor of you…"

Kyoshiro tilted his head back up to give Hina his proper attention, although there was still some red in his eyes, "…I'm listening…"

"As you know, we have claimed that the entire Mononobe clan, including yourself, perished that night. Obviously, this was done for your safety, lest the killers discover your survival and pursue you," the clan head began, pulling out a folder from her desk drawer, "In order to enforce this cover, I've decided to adopt you into the Urashima clan, until such a time comes where you are old enough, and capable enough, to revive your clan."

"I figured as much…and you have my thanks again…" Kyoshiro nodded, but Hina waved a hand, "I'm not finished yet, Kyoshiro-kun. Adopting you was a given, however…in order for this cover to work," the elderly woman took a breath before continuing, praying the boy wouldn't blow a gasket, "I'm afraid we'll have to change several things about you…beginning with your name."

Kyoshiro's thoughts ground to a halt, "…could you run that by me one more time?"

"What granny here didn't tell you yet, was that you're gonna be adopted into my brother's family," Haruka continued where the clan head left off, "In all honesty, you could pass for his son…once you cut and dye your hair. Since he's so removed from clan affairs, living with him is the best option since you'd be out of the limelight."

Hina nodded her thanks to her adopted daughter and picked up where she left off, "It would be easy to pass you off as an orphan who was adopted by my son, since that was how Kanako came under his care, but it will only work if you take the Urashima name as she did."

Kyoshiro's brow furrowed in thought as he retook his seat in front of the desk. On one hand, the idea of losing the name his parents gave to him, even if only temporarily, was a sobering thought. On the other hand, he could understand the need for a cover in order to protect himself, plus as said before, it would only be temporary.

Sighing to himself, feeling drained from the day's events, he nodded, "…alright. I'll take a new name," he answered begrudgingly, "So what am I gonna be called from now on, so I know what to answer to?"

Hina thought to herself for a moment, "Hmm…let's see…what to call my new errant grandson…" the clan head made a show of choosing a name, causing a tic mark to appear on Kyoshiro's head, "let's go with…Keitaro. Keitaro Urashima."

"Has a nice ring to it," Haruka complimented before giving Kyoshiro, now Keitaro, a lazy smirk, "I always wanted a little nephew to bug."

"First off…it sounds like you're combining two names for no reason, but whatever," a spark of the old Kyoshiro returned as he gave Haruka a smirk of his own, "and second off, that means I get to call you Haruka-obasan…nice to see you embracing your age."

Steam flew from Haruka's ears as her face turned red, but whether that was from embarrassment or anger, no one really knew. Regardless, Hina decided to nip that fight in the bud before the two youngsters came to blows in her office.

"Now that that's over, we have just one more final bit of business to take care of," she got out of her chair and walked around the desk to stand before Kyoshiro. Seeing her get up prompted to the boy to rise from his seat as well, and when the old woman reached out and gently grabbed his hands, he knew in his heart what that last bit business was. Nevertheless, her words still reopened the raw wound in his heart.

"…saying goodbye to your family."

* * *

><p>The funeral of the Mononobe clan took place close to a month after they were killed. Since the majority of them had been burnt, almost no special care was needed to preserve the bodies, and Kyoshiro had decided to have all of their remains cremated per family tradition, and their ashes spread across the plot of land where the compound once stood in Okinawa.<p>

The Aoyamas sent Tsuruko and Motoko as their representatives to pay their respects, and all throughout the ceremony, the younger Aoyama's eyes streamed tears as she watched the ceremonial rites for the dead. She was unaware that her sempai was alive, but in a different part of the compound altogether.

Far from the main funeral ceremony, Kyoshiro, garbed in a sharp black suit, laid the urn with the ashes of his father, mother, and sister into its grave. He had found the untouched circle where he'd knelt and nearly died himself that night: the wood paneling had long been removed, leaving only a perfect circle of dirt. Covering the hole in the center where the urn now lay, Kyoshiro erected a makeshift shrine to house the effects he'd brought with him. Along with _Yawarakai-te _and _Ginokami_, the Urashima scouts had managed to recover a few other items: two jeweled combs that would adorn Saya's hair at official functions, two sets of elaborate hair pins worn by Sakuya, and the ceremonial tanto that once belonged to Kazuya, presented to him by the emperor as a reward for his work as an Imperial Guardian.

Of the two sets of his mother and sister's belongings, Kyoshiro had kept one, while the others would rest with their former owners. The tanto, however, was in his hands as he knelt before the temporary shrine he'd made, his head tilted down shadowing his eyes.

"Father…Mother…Saya-chan…forgive me for taking so long to return here, and for taking even longer to put you to rest…a lotta things have happened since that night…"

The mourning heir paused, tears falling slowly down his cheeks as he gathered himself to continue, "the Urashima have been really good to me…they took me in, officially. For now, I'm gonna go by the name Keitaro Urashima, in order to keep me safe…but I promise…I won't EVER forget my real name…the name you gave me…"

He trembled, clenching his hands into tight fists as the rage and sorrow he felt that night came rushing back, and threatened to consume him, "…and I also won't forget the bastards who did this. I told Hina that I would cooperate and not go after them…that was a lie…"

"I know that I'm still not at full strength…it'll be a while before I am…but when I am…I'll start learning the advanced techniques in the family scrolls that Hina-obaasama has…and I'll make the Tachibana answer for this…"

The last Mononobe began stripping his upper garments, until his chest was bare. Unsheathing the tanto, he looked at the golden blade for a moment, before gripping it and carving a kanji into his chest. The process took a few minutes, his hand steady, and resolve firm, refusing to let the pain of the blade slicing his flesh deter him from his task. When he was finished, he eyed the bloody blade before resheathing it and placing it in front of the shrine. Putting one hand to the fresh wound over his heart, he let the blood smear his palm before using one finger to paint the same kanji on the plot of land where the urn was buried before the shrine.

"On this blood, before this grave, I pledge to every God, every deity…" he began, his hair still shadowing his eyes and blowing gently in the wind, "to wipe out the Tachibana clan. I promise you, Mom, Dad, Saya…I'll kill em all…whatever it takes!"

The wind stopped blowing and all of nature went silent in that moment as Kyoshiro finished his pledge. Having said his peace, the Mononobe heir rose from the ground, and bowed his head, "So watch over me from now on…until I join you on the other side…" fighting the urge to weep, the boy said one last goodbye, before picking up his discarded shirt and jacket, and walking to the other side of the island.

Absorbed in his thoughts and his sorrow, Kyoshiro did not notice the figure in the shadows, a woman with fiery red hair and midnight-blue eyes, who had been watching him as he paid his respects and made his blood pledge. When Kyoshiro was out of eyeshot, the woman stepped towards the shrine, and took notice of the kanji on the shrine. From her position, she hadn't been able to see what he'd carved onto his chest. When she read what was written on the grave, however, she gasped, eyes widening as she whispered its meaning:

"_T…__**Tenchū (Divine Retribution)**__"_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note - <strong>First, my sincerest apologies for such a HUGE chapter. I wanted to make it shorter, or possibly cut it in two, but I wanted to get the foundation chapter done in one go. Rest assured, the rest of the chapters should be nowhere NEAR this long. If you read through the whole thing, kudos and thanks so much! Please feel free to leave reviews, but what I said about flames in the prologue stands...and trust me, I'm an engineer. I can pull that off a lot easier than you think.

Next chapter should be out in a week or two if i don't get too bogged down.


	3. Chapter 2 - A Mysterious Summons

**Disclaimer -** I don't own Love Hina.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter II – A Mysterious Summons<strong>

_He was surrounded by the familiar scene of flames licking at the walls and consuming the wooden floors and tatami mats of his home. All around him, the screams and groans of the dying echoed like a broken record, the cacophony of their agony seared into his memory. At the edge of his vision, demonic assassins flittered about in the shadows, slicing his clansmen to pieces before they even knew they were being attacked._

"…_stop…get away from them…" he whispered, even though he knew that the fate of his family was sealed. His mind was an unwilling passenger along for the ride as his body ran through the burning halls to find __**that**__ room. He got to the doors in record time, kicking them off their hinges and bursting inside to lay witness to the sight that continued to haunt him._

"…_Mom…Dad…" his voice broken and defeated, he turned to see their murderer, the red haired demon with cat-like yellow eyes and a malevolent smirk on his face as he looked upon his handiwork in triumph. _

"_Just in time for the best part, little Kyo…"_

_Before his eyes, the fatally wounded body of his sister walked towards him, before falling inert into his arms. He wasn't able to hold in his anguish any longer, and screamed until his throat became hoarse, before glaring at the killer._

"_K….KUROTORRAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

><p>Keitaro's dark brown eyes flipped open, his breaths coming in pants as he looked around him. The first thing he noticed was the mass of black hair obstructing his vision, and the scent of wildflowers filling his nose. His attention then fell on the warm body holding itself to him tightly. Having grown familiar with this situation, the young man sighed and gently removed the lithe, feminine arms that had wrapped around his waist. Luckily, he didn't wake the young woman from her slumber, and was able to slip on his house slippers before leaving the quiet bedroom.<p>

Making his way to the bathroom, Keitaro rubbed his eyes and yawned, cataloging in his mind what he'd planned for the day.

'…_school…study for a bit…and then…'_

He paused in the hallway for a moment before a dark look came across his eyes, only to disappear as quickly as it came. Entering the bathroom, he went to brush his teeth before stripping from his sleepwear and going into the shower stall. Ten minutes later saw the young man drying himself off before he noticed his reflection in the mirror.

Four years had brought a few changes to Keitaro Urashima. He'd grown taller, topping off at 183cm, and his vigorous training had shaped his body into that of a lean athlete, with dense, well-defined muscles capable of explosive speed and power. His raven-colored hair was cut much shorter, resembling that of his late father, Kazuya, but instead of lying flat, it was spiked up all over. His eyes landed on the scar over his heart, the kanji that represented the promise he'd made to his dead family. Oddly enough, it still bore an angry red coloring, as though it had never healed. In the past, there were even instances that it had opened up and bled as if freshly carved. As he continued to gaze at the scar, he heard a knock at the door.

"Onii-chan, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," Kanako said to him through the door, "…you could've woken me up, you know. I wouldn't have minded…"

"I know…and I thought I told you last time to stop sneaking into my room at night," Keitaro said as he opened the door to speak to his fellow adoptee face to face, "I coulda sworn I locked it this time…"

Kanako's eyes widened a fraction as she took in the sight of her adopted brother shirtless with a pair of loose sweats hanging from his hips. She quickly schooled her features before she could start drooling, "…you did…I picked the lock...you should know better by now, you're my favorite pillow…"

The dark young girl trailed off, seeing a slightly haunted look come across Keitaro's face, "O-oh, I sorry! I forgot-"

"It's ok Kana-chan," Keitaro waved off her apology, his face going back to normal, "just…don't sneak into my room to sleep with me anymore…seriously, Saigo-san and Nao-san already worry enough about you as it is…"

Keitaro walked back to his room, shutting the door before changing into his school uniform: simple black slacks, a white dress shirt with black tie, and a black blazer with the school logo on the left breast pocket. Exiting the room, he went downstairs to the kitchen, where a middle-aged man with messy brown hair, brown eyes, and five-o-clock shadow sat at the table reading the morning paper, while his wife, a lovely woman with long dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, set the plates out for breakfast.

"Good morning, Saigo-ji, Nao-san."

Saigo looked up from his paper and gave his adopted son a small grin, "Good morning to you too, Kei-kun. Hard time getting up today?"

"No harder than usual," Keitaro told his foster father, electing not to spill anything about Kanako's shenanigans, "It's always harder for me to get up during the winter…hibernation and all that."

The man laughed, "I hear ya! But look at the bright side, it's almost vacation time, and then one more term before graduation!"

Keitaro sat down with a sad smile, having completely forgotten that he'd be graduating from high school in another few months. It was a milestone that his parents had been eager for him to reach when they'd been alive, and now that it was happening, the young man just didn't feel that excited for it.

A plate being placed in front of him brought Keitaro out of his state of melancholy, "Oh, thanks, Nao-san," he nodded to his foster mother, who smiled and gave him a small kiss on his head.

"You're very welcome, Kei-kun, but how many times have I told you not to address me so formally?" she pouted while lightly admonishing the young man, "You call Saigo 'Saigo-ji'…"

Keitaro had the decency to blush, "Uh…sorry…Nao-nee?"

"Much better!"

Saigo shook his head in amusement at the scene, before greeting Kanako who'd just sat at the table, "And how was your night, Kanako-chan?"

"Good as always, although it could've been a bit better," she slyly looked over to Keitaro, who was busy chewing on his toast. He was able to hide nearly choking on the bread at his sister's sultry tone.

'…_that girl…is gonna be the death of me…'_

The siblings finished their breakfast quickly, and bade goodbye to their parents before putting on their shoes and setting out to school. As they made their way to the bus stop, Keitaro looked around the neighborhood lazily.

The Urashimas lived on the outskirts of Hinata, a scenic little town that faced Sagami Bay in the Kanagawa Prefecture. It wasn't that far from Tokyo, but it was out of the way enough for Saigo, who'd opted to live a life of peace and obscurity rather than inherit the leadership of the Urashima clan. This ended up working out perfectly for Keitaro, who'd needed to live far away from anyone who could recognize him.

Glancing up at her brother, and noticing something out of place, Kanako sighed and tapped him on the arm, "Onii-chan…you forgot to fix your hair again."

"Huh?" Keitaro pulled a lock down and noticed it was still black. Oops. "Huh…guess I did…"

"I have a couple costumes with me since we have that musical in school coming up," the young woman gestured to the backpack slung over her shoulders, "I could lend you one of the wigs for the day…"

"No, it's fine, I got it," Keitaro replied, and just as Kanako was about to question him, her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as the man's hair literally _morphed_ from black to dark brown, matching Saigo's hair color perfectly. The color of his eyebrows copied the change moments later.

"…you learned that Iga clan technique that lets you alter your hair color using ki, didn't you." It was more of a statement than a question. Keitaro gave the girl a small smirk for an answer, "…I get dibs on it next."

"Maybe…I still have a while to go before I can make the change last without focusing so much on it," the two soon arrived the bus stop, waiting for a few minutes before hopping on the next bus that showed up. It was a leisurely forty-five minute ride into the heart of Hinata, where their schools were located. As they thanked the driver and departed the bus, Kanako was about to head off when Keitaro placed a hand on her shoulder.

"…are you going to be home early tonight? I'll need your help with _that_…"

"…no problem. I'll finish my chores at school quickly and head straight back."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. Take care Kana-chan."

The pair hugged and Keitaro kissed the girl on her forehead before walking off towards his school, leaving Kanako staring at his back, a small smile on her face as she gently touched the spot where he'd briefly placed his lips.

'_Onii-chan…'_

* * *

><p>Keitaro was greeted with the usual sight when he reached his classroom: girls clustered together in small groups as they gossiped about their adventures from the past weekend, the jocks hanging out together laughing boisterously and joking around, and other students just milling about, listening to music or reading to pass the time before homeroom began.<p>

Taking his seat at a desk next to the windows, the young swordsman set his bag on the floor next to his chair and took out a small journal. Leaning back casually in his seat, he opened the journal with one hand, eyes glancing over the notes and news clippings pasted inside. They were all written about something regarding the Imperial Family…or to be more specific, the Imperial Guardians.

His gaze skimmed along the pages, reacquainting himself with the results of several years of research. The lone Mononobe had long since committed to memory the entire structure of the Tachibana: the ancient clan was comprised of ten pure blood families, or 'pillars', with small subsets and branches of mixed-blood relatives. Heihachi Tachibana's family had been the acting lead pillar for several generations, with the other nine deferring to them. On the chart that listed the ten main families, three of them were crossed out, with newspaper articles next to them detailing the mysterious deaths of all their members. Keitaro smirked as he reread them, a glint of triumph in his eyes.

'…_three down…soon to be four…'_

As he continued to read and plan out his next actions, a feminine voice called out to him.

"Keitaro-san!"

Looking up from his book, Keitaro saw the approach of a very attractive girl with long, light brown hair and two 'antennae' sticking up from the front. The school uniform didn't do a good job of hiding her amazing figure, as it accentuated her curves and left much of her long, creamy legs on display. The young man lifted his free hand and gave the girl a dull wave, "Yo."

"Don't just 'Yo' me, mister! Where were you over the weekend? We were supposed to study for the practice exams!," the girl scolded, her large brown eyes narrowing as she pouted at her study partner.

"…that was supposed to be last weekend?" Keitaro asked before putting the journal down on his desk and looking up at the ceiling in thought, cringing when he actually remembered his promise, "…oh yea…it was. Geez, I'm a frickin idiot…"

The young woman's pout grew more pronounced, "That's all you have to say? I waited for hours at the library for you! What happened? Did something come up last minute again?"

Keitaro had the decency to look a bit remorseful, "Couldn't be helped, but I should've called to let you know. Sorry, Naru-san."

Naru Narusegawa sighed and shook her head before pulling out the chair at the desk in front of Keitaro's and turning it to face him, sitting down after taking off her bag and making herself comfortable, "I guess I'll let you off the hook…this was the first time you actually bailed without telling me. Just don't do it again. It'd suck if I lost my study-buddy because he was being a jerk."

"I'll try not to miss out again, Naru-san" Keitaro apologized, earning a nod and a wide grin from the lovely young woman across from him. Returning the smile with an amused shake of his head, the young man found himself reminiscing on how they met.

When he'd first arrived to Hinata, Keitaro had resolved not to bother with making friends and focus solely on his mission, and throughout the remainder of his junior high school years, he'd adhered to that promise pretty well. While he remained courteous and civil towards his fellow classmates, he avoided getting too close to any of them, always remaining at arms' length and earning the reputation of a loner amongst his peers. His teachers had been worried about his introverted behavior, but since he scored nothing but A's in all of his courses, they'd left him alone. The young swordsman had intended to continue this trend in high school…until the day he crossed paths with Naru Narusegawa and her best friend, Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno.

Keitaro had first run into them in the middle of his sophomore year, when the two had really been earning the attention of the male population in their grade. Naru was an ethereal beauty even back then, and Kitsune was her high-strung, but well-meaning sidekick. Like the rest of the guys in his grade, the young swordsman had recognized the physical appeal of the two (what pure-blooded male wouldn't?), but he'd remained steadfast in his desire not to get close to anyone, and had done his best to avoid them. It wasn't until the second term of junior year that his trend would be broken, when he'd had a chance encounter with Naru at the school library. He almost didn't believe his eyes, as originally the lovely young girl had been a slightly below average student, preferring to zone out and daydream over paying attention in class or studying. But after the tutoring she received the previous summer, she diligently worked her way up to become one of the top students in their class.

One day, when Keitaro had opted to study for an upcoming Calculus exam, he'd spotted Naru occupying his favorite table in the rear corner of the library. It was isolated from everyone else, and it was next to a window that gave a nice view of the city proper. Thinking about finding another table for a moment, the young man simply shrugged and sat down across from the girl, who didn't even notice his presence until he plopped a textbook open on the table and began taking notes.

"…Calculus?" she asked tentatively. Keitaro grunted in reply before glancing at the book in front of the studious girl, "History?"

"Yea…big exam at the end of the week."

The pair went silent after that, absorbed in their notes and flashcards. A couple hours went by before Naru heard the boy curse softly.

"Dammit! Stupid Pythagorean theorem!"

Looking over at his paper, she noticed he'd written the formula the wrong way, "Hey, I think that variable should go on the other side of the equation. You might have better luck that way."

Keitaro looked up at her for a moment, before nodding and moving the variable, "Huh…it does work. Thanks-" he began before noticing she was looking at her notes in frustration, "…something wrong?"

"I can't remember this one thing that the professor was grilling us about regarding the Imperial Family…it's the date that Emperor Meiji wrote the decree for that Decennial Tournament or something…"

"…November 14, 1870."

Naru looked up at the boy, slightly shocked that he knew such an obscure date off the top of his head. Looking through her text book, she found he was right on the dot.

"…that's exactly it," she said, giving the boy an impressed look, "how'd you know?"

Keitaro's smile didn't meet his eyes as he answered, "My family schools me a lot on history…or at least my grandmother does…slave-driving old windbag…"

Naru giggled quietly at the boy's 'description' of his elder, before reaching a hand over to him, "I don't think I caught your name. I'm Naru, Naru Narusegawa."

"Keitaro Urashima," he reached his own hand over and gently shook hers, "it's a pleasure."

Naru gave the boy a quick smile and went back to studying, feeling more at ease with her current company. Keitaro also felt a bit calmer as he continued his own work. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, they would occasionally help each other when something was a bit too difficult to figure out on their own, and it wasn't until the sun began to set that they finally left the library, feeling mentally drained, but satisfied.

"So do you come here to study often?" Naru asked the boy next to her as they walked out of the front entrance to the library. Keitaro gave her a nod, "Yea, I usually come after school to study for a few hours before heading back home. Sometimes I have to leave early to go pick up my sister, though."

Naru nodded as they approached the corner of the street, "Well, I have to head down this way," she said before looking back at Keitaro, "Are you gonna be at the library again tomorrow?"

"No reason I shouldn't be…for now anyway," the boy said while giving a small smile, one that Naru returned.

"Cool! I'll see ya tomorrow then!" the young girl waved before walking towards the bus stop. Keitaro returned the wave and headed in the opposite direction to the spot where he'd meet up with Kanako. The following day saw the two meeting up again to study, as did the day after that. Before long, they had developed a routine (that was occasionally crashed by the prankster Kitsune), and a friendship was born against Keitaro's initial wishes. These days, however, he couldn't really say he regretted how things had turned out all that much.

* * *

><p>At the final bell, the students rose quickly from their seats, rushing about and grabbing their belongings as they headed out, either to after-school activities or their homes. Keitaro took his time packing up before joining Naru at the door, the two scholarly students making a beeline for the library. Settling themselves in their favorite spot, they took out their books and began their normal studying ritual.<p>

"Hey, what was that book you were reading earlier?" Naru brushed a hair to the side as she looked curiously at her study partner. Keitaro looked up from his homework assignment and answered, "Nothing really…just an old journal. Why do you ask?"

The lovely young woman looked down at the table, a small blush adorning her cheeks, "N-no reason, really. I just notice that you have it with you all the time…I got curious."

Keitaro laughed a bit, causing Naru's face to redden a bit more, "It's alright. I guess I kinda have been reading it a lot lately," his smile became a bit sad as he continued, "it's a bit personal though. I'll tell you about it another day."

The girl nodded, thankful she hadn't offended her friend with her intrusive question, before going back to work. The two study partners only took a couple of hours to finish their respective assignments, and before long, they were walking down the usual path leading to the bus stop.

"It's a shame you live on the other side of Hinata," Naru sighed as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the cold breeze, "it'd be kinda cool if you could come to my dorm to study…provided the other girls didn't mind of course."

Keitaro smiled and shook his head, "Thanks for the offer, but something tells me that'd be more trouble than it's worth…_especially _since Kitsune lives there too."

"Yea, I guess that would be a problem," Naru laughed as they approached the corner, "well, here's my stop. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Keitaro was about to answer yes, but then remembered his plans for that evening, "Actually, I'll probably be absent from school tomorrow. Family function that I have to go to all day, but if I finish up early, I'll meet you at the library to study."

"I see," the girl looked a bit downtrodden at hearing he'd be absent from school, but perked back up at his promise to come to the library if he could, "Well then I guess I'll see ya at the library if you can make it."

Keitaro nodded and was about to wave goodbye, when Naru surprised him with a quick hug, "…well this is new…I thought you believed guys were all perverts and you'd never touch one in a million years," he joked as he returned the embrace.

"Tch…I still do," the young woman answered as they let each other go, "you're just the exception, since you're my friend. You should be honored," she tilted her head up in a mock-aristocratic way, getting a chuckle out of the young swordsman.

"You're impossible, Naru-san," Keitaro said, a wide grin appearing on Naru's face, before the two waved their goodbyes and split up. Keitaro walked a few more blocks until he came to the bus that would bring him home. Once he boarded it and took a seat, his eyes became hard as his mind became focused on what was to come.

'…_tonight's the night…'_

* * *

><p>After a light training session and a short dinner with his foster family, Keitaro returned to his room, putting his ear to the door for a few moments. He paid close attention to the ambient noises in the house, making sure no one was on the second floor, before going to a corner of his room and kneeling in front of an empty space on the floor. With quick fingers, he silently moved a few of the floor panels aside and pulled out a large black case from the secret compartment. Lifting its lid up, he examined its contents.<p>

Inside was an elegant katana sheathed in a navy-blue scabbard; _Ginōkami_, his father's old blade. Also within the case was a box of kunai, several spools of high-tensile wire, scaling claws, and a case filled with vials of a dark blue substance. Gently, Keitaro lifted _Ginōkami _from the box and placed on his futon beside him, before also removing a spool of wire, the scaling claws, and one of the strange vials. Closing the box and placing it back in its hiding spot, the young man slid the floor boards back into place and walked over to his closet. Rifling through the inside, he withdrew a dark grey hakama and gi, as well as a long, dark blue scarf.

After a quick examination of the garments, the young swordsman quickly changed into the outfit, leaving the scarf for last on his futon. As he finished tying his belt, a soft knock sounded at the door.

"Onii-chan, it's me," Kanako whispered through the door. Keitaro glided over and opened the door, Kanako quickly entering before he closed it again. In her hands was a small bag filled with her mask-making supplies.

"I have what you asked for," she said as she took a seat on the futon next to _Ginōkami_, "What features do you want for the mask?"

Keitaro sat across from her, his sharp eyes locked onto her own, "red hair, a smaller nose, and grey eyes. And a couple scars on the cheeks, just in case the scarf comes off."

"Understood," Kanako took the supplies from the bag and went to work crafting an elaborate mask for her beloved brother. When she finished, she picked it up and carefully placed it on and around Keitaro's head. Once she fixed the wig in place, she moved back and saw a stranger's face, false grey eyes concealing the stern brown ones she loved to get lost in, "It's done. As long as you're careful, that mask should last you for the night."

"You're a lifesaver, Kanako," Keitaro thanked her as he stood up and fixed _Ginōkami_ in place at his waist. Putting the scaling claws, vial, and wire inside a pocket within his gi, the now red-haired swordsman wrapped the blue scarf around his face, covering his mouth, nose, and the top of his head while letting the fake red hair flow freely behind him. Satisfied with his preparations, Keitaro walked over to the window and stepped onto the ledge.

"I should be back by early morning," he said as he turned to face Kanako, "If I'm running late, I'll contact you."

"Got it," she answered softly, before staring into his eyes with a slightly pleading expression, "Onii-chan, won't you let me…"

"…we've been thru this, Kana-chan," the young man sighed before getting down from the ledge and kneeling in front of his sister, "I don't want this life for you…this is _my_ mission…_my Tenchuu_…I can't let anyone else be responsible for it but me."

Kanako grimaced, fighting the tears of frustration that threatened to leave her eyes as she reluctantly nodded, "…ok then…I'll be here when you get back," a sharp pain went through Keitaro's chest after hearing his pseudo-sister's somber tone.

Giving the girl one last hug, he hopped onto the window sill and out into the night. As he ran across the rooftops, his tabi boots silent against the clay tiles as he moved, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket. On it was a small note:

Target Location: Joga Island, Miura.

* * *

><p>The train ride to his destination had been uneventful for the most part. Due to his outfit, Keitaro had to stick to the roof of the train using his scaling claws in order to keep out of sight. After about an hour and a half, he'd reached Joga Island and quickly took to the rooftops. His target would be visiting the medical lab facility that the Tachibana had erected on the island after the assumed the role of Imperial Guardians. Before long, the young swordsman reached a cluster of nondescript buildings by the port. Walking up to the ledge, he took out a pair of binoculars he'd managed to find in his room and looked up the road.<p>

A couple miles away, he spotted a small motorcade heading his way: a few men on motorcycles surrounding two cars. The motorcade stopped in front of the medical building across the street from the one where the swordsman stood watching. Through the lens of his binoculars, Keitaro was able to make out several people, all of whom had either the red hair or the yellow eyes synonymous with the Tachibana clan. Among the throng of people, he spotted his target.

"There you are…"

"And here I thought you'd miss him again…"

Anger burned in Keitaro's chest as he put down the binoculars and turned around to face the newcomer on the roof. Standing across from him was a woman who shared the same crimson hair as he did, though hers was actually real, and midnight blue eyes that were giving him a mischievous, appraising look. She was dressed in a dark green kimono-like shirt that was slightly open, revealing the bandages that tied down her very generous chest, and tight black leggings that clung to her long, slender legs like a second skin. High-heeled boots finished her ensemble, along with a wakizashi sheathed in a dark green scabbard slung across the small of her back.

"…Tachibana…" Keitaro greeted coldly, his senses on alert as if expecting an attack. Considering who it was standing on the roof with him it was very likely.

"…Mononobe…" she replied lazily, a mirthful expression on her face, "still so cautious around me? You really know how to make a girl feel welcome," she teased.

"Forgive me if I don't exactly take too well to someone with the blood of my clan's murderers," he answered, turning back to watch his prey enter the medical facility. The mysterious woman walked forward and stood next to him, eyeing the boy before turning to observe the gathering taking place down below.

"They've added a bit more security this time. Your last excursion got em spooked," the woman informed him, using one hand to move her hair out of her face, "you'll have your work cut out for you this time…even with your _talents_…"

"The extra guards won't make a difference," Keitaro placed the binoculars back into his gi and moved to the ledge of the roof, "why are you here anyway, Kimiko?"

Kimiko Tachibana answered with a sly smirk, "…maybe I just wanted to see my favorite little avenger in action? Or maybe I missed you…"

Keitaro's eyes narrowed again as he gave Kimiko a hard look, "…don't play with me, woman. You know how this is gonna go…"

"And I look forward to the day you have the balls to try," she replied with a predatory grin, turning her back on the young swordsman, "So what's your plan for getting in there, anyway?"

When she didn't get an answer, the buxom Tachibana turned back around, only to see an empty rooftop ledge. Shaking her head, she sauntered towards the steps.

"That boy _really_ needs to loosen up…"

* * *

><p>At the entrance to the facility, two Tachibana clan members stood watching the roads and pathways for any unwanted guests. Over the past few years, three of their pillars had been systematically wiped out, with the culprit getting away every time. Granted, they were weaker than the remaining 7 pillars, as per their ranking in the clan. Nevertheless, Heihachi had seen the need to step up precautions.<p>

"…so did you see that kumite at the underground last night?" the guard to the right asked his partner, who was busy admiring the work done on his wakizashi, "I'm tellin ya, this one guy was frickin beast! Took down 30 dudes 'fore he was ko'ed."

"You fuckin serious? Damn, I had to stay in and take care of the old lady. She been sick fer awhile," answered the other guard as he placed his elegantly crafted blade back into its scabbard, "It's been a fucking drag, bro…since she's stuck in bed, I can't do anything…no clubs…no 'company'…hell I can't even fucking drink. Shit blows, man."

The other guard sniggered in amusement as they continued their watch. By now, the moon had come out from behind the clouds, its eerie red light grabbing their attention.

"Harvest moon tonight…kinda freaky…" the left guard trailed off, his eyes widening in fright. His partner, noticing his silence, stopped admiring the moon to look at him, "Hey, whasa mattah?"

The Tachibana guard didn't reply verbally, instead raising his arm to point at the beginning of the pathway. Walking towards them at a slow pace was a single man, garbed in dark grey clothing that allowed him to blend in with the dark, his head wrapped in a dark blue scarf. What stuck out the most to them though was the unknown's long red hair that gently flew about in the breeze.

"…he has red hair…maybe it's one of ours?" the guard on the left asked, fear creeping into his voice. His partner drew his wakizashi and pointed it at the strange man, "You! Hold it right there! We ain't heard a thing about extra security! Who the fuck are you?!"

Before either of them could react, the stranger drew his sword from his waist and dashed forward with god-like speed. Appearing in front of them, the stranger sliced the guard on the left, opening a fatal gash in his throat, before ducking under the clumsy slash of the last guard and slicing upward, opening the Tachibana's chest. Blood sprayed from the wound like a fountain as the man gasped his last breath before falling to the ground. Seeing that the guard whose throat he'd sliced open was still alive, Keitaro turned his blade downward and plunged it into the man's head, ending his suffering.

"…two down…there should be about eighteen more inside…" he said to himself before removing the scaling claws from his gi. Placing them on, the young assassin began climbing up the side of the building. The bricks that made up the walls were old, but still firm enough to provide a good anchor for the claws. Within minutes, he'd reached the rooftop and set about looking for the ventilation system. Finding it a few yards away, he walked over to the main intake valve.

"…time to see if this still works," Keitaro whispered as he pulled out the vial of dark blue liquid. Popping it open, he began to channel his ki into the substance, creating a chain reaction that turned the liquid into gas. As it wafted out of the vial, the avenger placed the vial in front of the intake valve, his gaze directed on the gas being absorbed into the ventilation system. Moments later, the vial was empty and the gas was being circulated throughout the building.

'_Last time it took about thirty minutes to kick in,'_ he thought as he sat down and examined his leftover tools, _'all that's left to do now is wait'_

* * *

><p>Oblivious to Keitaro's actions outside, the VIPs from the motorcade continued their walk down the halls of the lab facility. On their way they passed several different rooms housing the infamous ki experiments of the Tachibana. One member of the group had his eye on one room where the doctors were experimenting on a new ki-enhancement formula. The subject's eyes turned white as he was injected with the new formula, an elated grin appearing on his face.<p>

When the large group reached their destination, a man with short red hair and piercing blue eyes heading the contingent raised a hand, "Genshiro, Taka, Yuri, Hatake, you four spread the others out, then wait here and guard the door. Suzume and Akira are coming with me. No one else gets in, understand?"

"As you say, Amagai-sama," the lead bodyguard, Genshiro, bumped a fist against his chest in salute, before he and the other guards got into position. After watching the guards a bit, Amagai Tachibana knocked on the door and waited a moment. Receiving a weak-sounding 'Come In' from inside, he opened the door to let his wife and son enter before following, locking the door once he got in.

"Mikamura-sensei…it's been a while," Amagai greeted as he shook hands with the elderly scientist. Mikamura bowed, "It truly has, Amagai-sama. You're looking well," he turned to the tall, red-haired woman next to him, "and you as well, Suzume-dono," he said before gently taking her hand and kissing the top of it, eliciting a giggle from the woman.

"You're such a flatterer, Mikamura-sensei," Suzume said as she sat down, her elegant kimono ruffling a bit as her emerald eyes took in the doctor's office. It was a mostly empty room with only a desk, a futon, some chairs and a few bookshelves. The window was boarded up, dimming the room further. The one fluorescent light above flickered every so often, though not enough to cause a problem.

Mikamura walked over to the last member of the group, Amagai's teenage son, "And how have you been doing, Akira-sama?"

The red-headed boy with bright blue eyes smirked, "Pretty damn good, Mikamura-sensei!" Akira looked up at his father, who smiled back at him, "Father's gonna start teaching me assassin techniques soon…I can't wait to start kicking ass!"

"Now, now Akira, you must remember discretion," his father chided lightly, "true assassins don't broadcast their abilities after all…"

Akira pouted but nodded his head and took a seat next to his mother at the side of the room, while Amagai sat in the plush chair in front of the doctor's desk. "So I believe you already know why we are here…"

"Indeed I do," answered the doctor as he went into one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a black canister with several warning labels, "it took quite some time to synthesize the formula correctly, but I believe we've finally perfected our _Yoru no Shukufuku_. I know Heihachi-sama has been relentless in his demands for it."

"That he has. After the…_successful test run_, he's been very pleased with your work," Amagai's face held a sinister smile as he recalled that night, "Those of us who took part in putting those dogs down four years ago were also extremely impressed. Since then, I've never felt as alive as I did when it was active."

"I'm just glad you were able to come back alive and without any serious damage to your ki reserves," Mikamura answered back as he handed the canister to the taller Tachibana, "I believe the worst you and the others suffered was fatigue for a few days, yes?"

Akira answered for his father, "He was bedridden for maybe a day or two, but after that he was fine. Better than fine actually, right Father?"

"More or less," Amagai's face scrunched in thought, "My ki reserves did seem a bit bigger, but the excess left after a few days."

Mikamura nodded, "As it should. Since that ki was produced by the _Yoru no Shukufuku_, it could not remain in the body for long, lest it begin to poison you. Your body naturally filtered it out since it was such a small amount," he eyed the canister in Amagai's hands for a moment, "with this new batch however, that problem should be eliminated."

"I'll get this to Heihachi-sama immediately," Amagai rose from his seat, Suzume and Akira following suit, "We'll be in touch, Mikamura-sensei. Do take care, and don't be a stranger to the compound."

"Of course, Amagai-sama," Mikamura nodded, and proceeded to walk to the door. When he opened it, however, he jumped back in fright as Genshiro's body almost fell on top of him, "Ack! What is this?!"

Looking around, the doctor and his guests noticed it wasn't just the bodyguards, but _everyone _in the facility was on the ground, lying deathly still. Squinting his eyes and enhancing them a bit with his ki, Mikamura could make out the faint blue haze that covered the area.

"…get back in the office…" he whispered urgently, his eyes now wide with terror, "get back in the office now!"

Amagai pulled Suzume and Akira inside, but not before accidentally getting a whiff of the haze himself. The minute the door was closed, the head of the 6th Tachibana pillar family's eyes widened, his breathing almost coming to a complete stop before he crumpled to the ground.

"W-what…is…this?! I-I c-c-can't…move…" Amagai struggled as his body rebelled against him, Suzume crying in fear as she watched her husband's body shut down, while Akira looked on, too stunned to even think of a way he could help.

Mikamura quickly knelt down to the ailing man, "I know these symptoms…they're almost exactly the same as our own paralysis powder," the old man explained, his voice a mix of awe and dread, "but this one is far more problematic…it's beginning to make his windpipe constrict, cutting off his air supply… Amagai-sama may not have long…"

"Can't you do something, Mikamura-sensei?!" Suzume was frantic as she knelt beside her husband's paralyzed body, her heart breaking at the panic in her husband's eyes.

"I-if I can get a sample of his blood, I-I should be able to-"

"It's too late…for all of you…"

Mikamura, Suzume, and Akira quickly turned to the door, and their faces paled in horror all at once. Standing in the doorway was the dark-clad Keitaro, his drawn blade gleaming in the low light as he held it to his side. Hate-filled grey eyes bored into those of every member of the room, before tightening at Mikamura.

"So…you're the one that came up with that poison…" he growled, rage beginning to seep into his voice, "YOU made those monsters…"

"H-hey! Who the hell are you?!" Akira demanded, masking his fear in false bravado as he stomped over to the masked swordsman, "You better fix what you did to Father-"

He was silenced by a vicious backhand from the masked Keitaro that sent him crashing into the desk, papers flying everywhere from the impact.

"AKIRA!" Suzume got up and made to run for her son, when she was stopped cold, courtesy of Keitaro's blade sticking out from her stomach. Amagai, who'd been turned on his back by Mikamura, felt his heart stop as the avenger pulled his blade from Suzume, the woman dropping to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut.

"S….Suzume…?" the Tachibana pillar head whispered, and wept silently as he saw her blood pool around her, before glaring up at the assassin, "WH-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"…the same thing your ilk did to me four years ago…" the avenger's words puzzled Mikamura and Amagai, "…here, maybe this will jog your memory."

Reaching for the scruff of his neck, Keitaro grabbed the scarf, along with the false face, and carefully pulled them off, revealing his short, spiky black hair and sharp brown eyes that burned with loathing as he glared at the men before him.

"…no…you can't…" Amagai's eyes widened, the man struggling even more than ever to move, "…He…he killed you! We all saw! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

"…you first," was all Keitaro said in reply before plunging his blade into Amagai's heart, the man giving him a look of shock before blood came up from his mouth, his eyes rolling into his head in death. Mikamura was frozen, unimaginable terror gripping him like a vice. On the other side of the office, Akira broke down at the sight of his parents' brutal murders, before being engulfed by white-hot rage.

"YOU…YOU BASTAAARRRRD!"

Turning to face the boy, Keitaro watched as Akira ran forward, arms out with the intent to rip him apart. At the last moment, he moved towards the boy and slashed at him with his blade while he ran past. Both came to a stop at opposite sides of the room, and Mikamura held his breath, only to stare helplessly as Akira's left arm came off at the shoulder, falling to the ground with a dull thud.

The boy let out an ear-splitting scream of agony as he crumpled to the floor, hand gripping his shoulder as he writhed on the ground. The elderly doctor then noticed Keitaro walking toward the squirming Akira, and desperately rose to his feet to stand protectively in front of the grievously wounded Tachibana.

"STOP! Please, I beg you!" Mikamura prostrated himself at the assassin's feet, paying no heed to the puddle of blood he knelt in, Amagai's corpse still bleeding out nearby, "You've already done enough! Just kill me and spare the boy! He's only a child!"

"…how old is he…" Keitaro asked emotionlessly, a stony look on his face as he stared into Mikamura's eyes.

"T-Thirteen…p-p-please…" the cowed doctor gave the assassin a pleading look, "I'll let you take my life, if you promise to spare the boy…"

"…do you know who I am…?"

Mikamura examined Keitaro's face, trying to match it with the people in his memories, before he gasped as realization dawned on him, "…i-i-impossible…M-Mononobe…!"

"…then I don't need to tell you," Keitaro said before roughly grasping Mikamura's hair and holding him in the air, the old man frantically grasping at his hand, "that your pleas for mercy are wasted on me."

In a flash, Keitaro swung _Ginōkami_ and decapitated Mikamura, the old man's body falling back to the ground in a bloody mess. Throwing the head still in his hand on the desk, Keitaro grabbed the mask and wig and placed them back over his face. As he re-wrapped the scarf around him, he heard the piteous moans of Akira, still clutching his shoulder in pain.

"…you...fucking bastard," the seriously wounded boy glared at the assassin from the ground, his hair matted down with sweat and teeth gritted in crippling pain, "don't you…know who you're m-messin with here?"

"…I do…" Keitaro began in a dead tone as he moved to stand over the boy, his cold brown eyes staring into Akira's blue ones, "but your family…murdered my entire clan. So consider this karma. You can blame Kurotora when he joins you in hell."

Without pause, Keitaro turned _Ginōkami_ upside down and plunged the tip through Akira's forehead. The avenger watched as the light in the boy's eyes faded forever, his body becoming still. His mission finished, Keitaro went over to Amagai's body and picked up the canister in his hands before leaving the office. Searching around the building, the young avenger found a storeroom that held several barrels and crates of chemicals used for the Tachibana's experiments. Almost all of them were labeled with a warning that put a vicious smirk on Keitaro's face.

**CAUTION: FLAMMABLE.**

* * *

><p>Kanako nervously glanced at the clock on the wall of her brother's room. It was almost 4 in the morning, and he still hadn't returned. Granted, the trains were no longer running, so it was only natural that Keitaro would take longer to come home. Still, the girl couldn't help but feel anxious.<p>

'…_what if something happened on the mission? What if they were stronger than he thought? What if-'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the window opened, revealing a blood-stained, slightly weary Keitaro. As his feet hit the ground, the boy felt the air leave his lungs when Kanako tackled him.

"Oof! Kanako-chan, how many times do I have to tell you NOT to do that!" he whispered harshly, but paused when he felt her tears on his chest; "I see…I worried you again…I'm sorry Kana-chan."

The girl sniffled, not minding the smell of blood coming from her brother's clothes, "Of course I was worried…I always worry!" she pulled back and Keitaro felt guilty when he saw the helplessness in her emotive brown eyes, "Every time…every damn time…I always wonder if you'll come back…"

Keitaro held her close as she sobbed, gently rubbing her back to soothe her, "…I promise that one day this'll all be over, and you'll never have to worry about me again."

As Kanako continued to silently sob into her brother's chest, neither was aware of Saigo's presence behind the slightly open door, his eyes narrowed in thought.

'_Just what have you been up to, Keitaro-kun?'_

* * *

><p>"Hey! Did you see the news last night?"<p>

"Yea, another Tachibana pillar family was taken out!"

"That makes four of them…that poor family…"

All around the classroom, Naru could hear her fellow peers clamoring about the latest news they'd seen that morning. Someone had taken out another one of the main families of the vaunted Tachibana clan, and it happened only an hour or so away from Hinata. While she didn't really pay attention to politics and the news that closely, the lovely brunette still felt a bit sad for the Tachibana. One of the victims had been around her younger sister's age.

'_I can't imagine what I'd do if anything like that happened to Mei…'_

Eventually, the homeroom teacher was able to get the class under control, and Naru went through her day in relative peace. As the last bell rang, she turned out of habit to face Keitaro's desk, only to frown at the empty space. With one last sigh, she packed her belongings and headed to the library. Upon entering her favored sanctuary, the lovely young woman made her way to her usual table, only to be shocked at the sight of her study buddy reading his physics textbook and taking notes.

"…I thought you said you weren't gonna be here today," Naru accused, although the smile on her face gave away her true feelings on the matter. Lifting his head from his notes, Keitaro gave the girl a blank look, "…I told you that if I finished with my family matters early then I'd be coming here. Not my fault you didn't listen."

A tic mark appeared on the woman's forehead, before she sighed again and took her seat across from her enigmatic study partner. Taking out her own textbooks, she began tackling her homework assignments for the day. As she opened her notebook to start writing, she glanced over at the boy across from her, "You were kinda lucky to be absent today…I think everyone's gossiping would've gotten on your nerves."

"Really now? What had everyone all up in arms?" asked Keitaro, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Well, you heard about what happened last night, right? The murder of Amagai Tachibana and his family, along with several of his relatives in a huge fire?" Naru asked, eyes on her work as she continued to explain, "That's the fourth family killed off in three years…everyone thought the killers had been caught a while back, but I guess not."

Because her attention was focused on her assignment, Naru missed the hardening of Keitaro's eyes, as well as the dark smirk on his face.

"…maybe the heavens are trying to say something to the Tachibana…some sort of retribution for a past crime or something…"

Naru paused for a moment, "Huh…maybe. But what are the odds of that?" she dismissed with an amused shake of her head. Keitaro's smirk only grew more sinister.

'_Better than you think…'_

* * *

><p>"Yes…yes, I understand. We'll keep in touch…you take care as well," Hina hung up the phone and lightly massaged her forehead, a light headache causing her some slight discomfort. In front of her were several files and old news clippings regarding the murders of the Tachibana pillars. As the Urashima matriarch resumed her reading, Haruka walked through the open door, a cigarette hanging from her mouth.<p>

"At it again granny?" she asked as she stood over Hina's chair, looking over her shoulder at the files.

"It's just unbelievable, Haru-chan. The last set of murders was about a year ago, but this latest one was carried out in almost the exact same fashion," the old woman pointed at a newspaper article written about the murder of Amagai Tachibana and his family, "it says right there that the bodies were so badly burned that the true cause of death could never be determined. It was a miracle they could even identify them as Amagai and his family. To make matters even more interesting, the murderer also killed the Tachibana's best medical expert, Mikamura."

"That old, prune-looking pain in the ass?" Haruka grimaced a bit, remembering her past encounters with the wizened old man, "can't really say I'm that sad to see him gone."

"Show some respect for the dead, Haru-chan…even if they don't really deserve it. " Hina admonished, "Still…I am rather curious as to the identity of the one behind all this. There aren't many around that would act out so blatantly against the Tachibana, even if the victims were the weaker pillars…"

Haruka rubbed her chin with one hand as she gave her own thoughts on the matter, "Well, no one really openly opposes the Tachibana…even though almost all the other noble clans hate their guts. Ever since they got the Imperial Guardians title, they've gone off the deep end."

Hina shuddered as she recalled the day that Heihachi received the ceremonial tanto and katana from the emperor. The smug look on his face irked the normally calm old woman to no end.

"...I still remember when the emperor presented it to Kazuya all those years ago, as well as the proud look on his face when Kyoshiro-kun was given that medal," Hina's body sagged, weighed down by the profound sadness those memories brought her.

Haruka also frowned as she reminisced about that day four years ago, "I don't think I'd ever seen that kid blush so hard as he did when he got that kiss on the forehead from the empress," a bitter smile came on her face as she finished her recollection, "I'll bet he's happy as all hell about this, ya know. Granted, he's not getting back at them himself, but someone's taking them out."

"He promised to cooperate with us and not do anything foolish," Hina looked stone-faced at her adopted daughter, "while I can't stop him from feeling however he may about all that's happened, I'm glad he at least chose to stand by his words to us."

"That makes two of us, granny," Haruka took a quick drag of her cigarette and blew the toxic air out of the window next to her, "Oh…looks like you have a message."

Hina looked up from her reading, just in time to see the notification on the screen of her laptop. The page was open to Hina's e-mail account (she'd recently figured out her way around the workings of computers and the internet), where the small icon that let her know she had a new message was blinking.

"Hmm…it's from Saigo…I haven't heard from him in a little while," Hina mused as she grabbed the mouse and went to the message. As she read it, her expression became more and more stern, her eyes, once filled with mirth, now held a grim expression.

"…everything ok with big bro?" Haruka asked casually.

"…I think it's time I paid Saigo a visit…I haven't seen my son in quite some time," Hina said with a hint of some emotion that Haruka couldn't discern, "and it's been ages since I've seen little Kei-kun and Kana-chan."

Haruka took out her cell, "Should I call to let em know you're coming?"

"No…I don't need to visit right away. I think the kids will be starting their winter vacation soon," Hina deleted the email before she closed the laptop, "I still have plenty of time."

Before Haruka could say anything, the Urashima clan head jumped down from her seat and left the room. All the while, her thoughts were a complete jumble.

'…_I seriously hope Saigo's suspicions are false…for your sake, Kyoshiro-kun'_

* * *

><p>"So I'll see ya tomorrow after the exam?" Naru looked over at her friend before they went their separate ways for the day. Keitaro shrugged, "Yea, I guess I can wait for you…if you don't take forever to finish, that is."<p>

Naru playfully punched his arm, surprising Keitaro with how much power she had in her slender arms, "Jerk! Catch ya later!" she waved before running to the bus stop to catch her ride home. Seeing her get on without any trouble, Keitaro turned and began walking to his own bus.

It had been three days since Amagai's assassination, and the young man felt ecstatic at being a bit closer to achieving his goal of avenging his clan's murder.

'_That's four down, and six to go…Mom…Dad…Saya…'_

So lost in his thoughts, the swordsman didn't even realize he'd gotten on the bus and arrived home until he was taking his shoes off in the foyer, when his foster father called out to him.

"Kei-kun, that you? Come on over, we have a guest."

Regaining his senses, Keitaro put on his house slippers and walked over to the living room, where he found Saigo and Nao on the sofa, entertaining their guest, while Kanako sat on the love seat perpendicular to them. Upon recognizing the visitor, Keitaro nearly froze in shock.

"H-Hina-obaasama?!" he fought to school his features and appear normal, although the sweat beading on his forehead wasn't helping, "W-what a surprise, I didn't know you'd be coming."

The old woman laughed at the boy's astonishment, "Well that's why they call it a surprise, Keitaro-kun. Good to see you my boy!"

The young man walked over and gave the clan head a warm hug before turning to sit down next to Kanako, who he also greeted with a hug, one she was reluctant to leave.

"So what brings you here, grandmother?" asked the young girl. Hina replied with a warm smile, "Does a grandmother need a reason to see her darling little grandchildren Kana-chan? I just realized it had been awhile since I last visited, and I couldn't keep away any longer!"

Keitaro took her answer in stride, but deep down, the boy felt there may be another reason for the clan head's sudden visit, a more _troublesome_ reason.

The family spent the next hour or so simply catching up on each other's lives, from Kanako's recent interest in the Urashima family jujitsu, to Keitaro's impending graduation and college exams. Through it all, the young swordsman felt edgy, sometimes having to rely on Kanako squeezing his hand every so often to keep him from showing his discomfort.

When Nao decided to bring out some more snacks, the Mononobe heir decided to excuse himself for a bit, citing the need to finish up a homework assignment. He never noticed Hina's eyes following him up the stairs.

After getting to his room, the boy sighed in relief, before moving over to his bag and taking out his textbooks. He hadn't been lying about the assignment, but it was something quick that he took care of in minutes. Once finished, he rolled out his futon and lay down to catch a few winks, or at least he intended to until a knock sounded at his door.

"Is that you Kana-chan? I was gonna come down in a few more minutes," he walked over to open the door, stumbling back in surprise when he saw not Kanako, but Hina at the door, "Hina-obaasama…"

"I'm sorry if I was disturbing your work, Kei-kun, but I just wanted to talk to you for a bit," Hina said as Keitaro moved out of the way to allow her entry. Closing the door behind him, the young swordsman felt as though he'd just locked himself in a cage with a dangerous predator. "Is everything alright, Hina-obaasama?"

"There's no need use formalities and false names here, we're family," Hina gave him a sly look, "isn't that right, Kyoshiro-kun?"

Keitaro sighed and walked over to his futon, letting himself plop onto it ungracefully, "Yea, yea…so what's up, granny?"

Hina took a cursory look around the boy's room, "It's funny, I was half expecting to see posters of those lovely new pop stars or fashion models all over…you're at that age after all…you don't have any girls that you're interested in?"

Keitaro grunted, "It's not something I'm focused on right now. I have school to think about, and inheriting the company in a few years…" he sat up and looked Hina in the eyes, "how are things with Nagareboshi Corp. going by the way? I forgot to check in over the past few months."

"Your family's arms production company is in good hands, in fact their profits have risen exponentially with the addition of your pharmaceutical branch," Hina preened before a sad smile replaced her joyful expression, "…Kazuya did good in hiring those old goats on the board…the JSDF has never been so well equipped according to the emperor and the prime minister."

"…Dad was a good judge of character," the young swordsman replied sullenly, the conversation taking a turn he didn't want it to, "so is that why you're here? To talk about my family?"

"No…I'm here to ask how you've been doing," Hina's serious tone of voice caused Keitaro to give her his undivided attention, "I've been in touch with Saigo over the past couple of years. He always boasts about your academic achievements, but he's also told me that you go out of your way not to make friends," the old woman frowned as she recalled some of Saigo's messages, "in fact, he's noticed that over the past couple of years, you've made only one other friend in school. You can't isolate yourself like this, Kyoshiro-kun."

Keitaro rose from the futon and walked over to his closet, removing _Ginōkami _from its place against the back wall and placing it on his desk. Digging through the drawers, he found a whetstone, and proceeded to unsheathe the blade to sharpen it.

"It's not isolation…not really. I just choose to focus on my training and schoolwork. That doesn't leave much time to socialize…"

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," Hina deadpanned as she took a seat on the boy's futon, "You're a bright, charismatic young man…but at the end of the day you are a _young man_. You should enjoy your youth, not distance yourself out of…whatever it is that's causing you to keep everyone at arm's length."

The swordsman's silence as he meticulously sharpened the edge of his father's blade unnerved the Urashima clan head, until she noticed the dull look in his eyes, "…You're afraid of losing anyone else, aren't you," she asked, although it sounded more like a statement. His continued lack of a response however, gave her the answer she was looking for, as well as a way to investigate the suspicions aroused from Saigo's e-mail, "Well, you probably won't have to worry about that soon. I'm sure you've heard what happened three nights ago?"

Keitaro's grip on his father's blade tightened ever so slightly, but Hina was able to catch it before he responded, "Yea…I heard. Amagai Tachibana, his wife and son, the head Tachibana doctor, and the entire 6th pillar of the clan was killed in a fire…everyone at school was raving about it."

"That's no surprise…especially seeing as how this would be the fourth Tachibana pillar family to die in a freak accident over the past three years," Hina continued on, her eyes focused on every detail of Keitaro's countenance, "very strange how they've been dropping like flies, don't you think?"

"Strange nothing, I say it's karma," the boy continued his work, but was unaware of the slight bit of crimson that had begun seeping into his eyes, "I'd like to shake the hand of whoever's putting those murderous, psychopathic bastards into the grave where they belong…"

Hina shook her head in disappointment, "While I can understand your hatred, it still saddens me to see you still so set on revenge. Such a path leads only to more sorrow," she warned, but Keitaro rudely brushed her statement aside.

"I know the adage, granny, if you seek revenge, be sure to dig two graves. Well, considering the size of that clan of demons, whoever's going after them is gonna have to dig a lot more graves than that."

"I guarantee you, grandchild, that they'll never get that far," the clever old woman filed away the slight hitch in Keitaro's motion with the whetstone at her statement, "the Tachibana are nothing if not resourceful. Not to mention this killer, or killers, have drawn the attention of the Imperial House. While they may not be attacking the emperor or his kin, they are still slaying the clan that provides his guards. It's almost a direct challenge to the emperor himself in a way, and that is NOT something he, nor our country's law enforcement, will tolerate sitting down."

The young swordsman narrowed his eyes, "Maybe they should've shown that same kinda drive when MY family was massacred…instead they just let it go and placed their murderers on a damn pedestal…"

"They had no choice, Kyoshiro-kun! There was no legitimate proof, and I couldn't just tell them that I heard the claims of their guilt from you without putting your life in jeopardy!" Hina said, her eyes pleading with him to understand her position, "That's not what your parents would want-"

"**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT THEY'D WANT?!**" Keitaro yelled as he stood up from his seat, his eyes completely crimson and flooded with indignation, "**THOSE FUCKING MURDERERS DESERVE EVERY DEATH! AND I HOPE WHOEVER'S KILLING THEM GETS EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!**"

"…calm down, Kyoshiro-kun," Hina raised her hands defensively, "you're subconsciously activating the curse again. Breathe, I didn't come here to start an argument with you. We've had far too many of those already."

Taking a second to let go of the unbridled anger in his heart, Keitaro sat back down and finished sharpening _Ginōkami_'s edge before sheathing it back in its scabbard, "…I'm sorry…but I still stand by what I said," he continued before he whispered, "I just hope they save Kurotora for last…I wouldn't mind helping them with _that_ one…"

In that moment, Hina saw a glimpse of something in the young man's eyes, something she'd seen only once before, when news broke of the first time a Tachibana pillar family was killed.

'…_I've gotten what I came for…'_ she thought as she did her best to repress the shiver that threatened to leave her, "don't forget your promise to me, young man."

Keitaro gave her a withering glare, "No…I didn't forget…"

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Hina rose from the futon and gave Keitaro one last hug before returning downstairs. After a few quick goodbyes to the rest of the family, the Urashima clan head exited the house and walked towards the end of the block. At the corner was a parked town car, with Haruka leaning against one of the doors.

"So how'd the visit go?" she asked as she opened the door to let the elderly woman in. Hina said nothing until Haruka entered and the car began to head back to Tokyo, "The visit went fine, Haru-chan. Your brother and his family are still doing well…Kanako is growing to be a lovely young woman."

"…and Keitaro?"

Hina sighed, "Haru-chan…I'm worried about him. From our talk, it doesn't seem that he's involved in any way with the murder of the Tachibana pillars…but there's a darkness about him that wasn't there before," her eyes narrowed as she remembered the boy's outburst and what he'd said afterwards, "when he thought I couldn't hear him, he whispered that he'd be willing to help the killers should they go after Kurotora-san."

Haruka ran a hand through her hair, "So you think he's a risk?"

"I can't be certain, but the possibility is there. We need to find a better way to keep an eye on him. Saigo and Nao can't keep constant tabs on him for obvious reasons, and Kanako loves that boy too much to ever do anything against him."

"Do you think she'd help him?" Haruka asked, taking a drag from her cigarette, "if he decides to help the killers take out the other pillars?"

"…of that I have no doubt," the older woman admitted, "and with her talent in making disguises, she'd be an invaluable asset to him. We can't let that happen."

"You could always take Kanako on one of your trips…she's been dying to learn the family jujitsu, hasn't she?"

Hina gave her adopted daughter a small grin, "That would solve the issue with Kanako, but there's still figuring a way to watch over Keitaro-kun…" she huffed in frustration, "very few of our clansmen would be capable of doing such a thing without being caught, but the ones with the ability to do so aren't available."

Haruka frowned, sympathizing with her adopted mother's plight, "I hear ya…personally I wouldn't mind taking that job, but with the tea house, there's no way I could…"

Hina sighed, massaging her head in her hands, "Indeed…to be perfectly honest I think the only ones who could keep tabs on him would be you or myself, but you have the tea house to look after, and I'm also busy between clan affairs and managing the Hinata-sou…"

Hina trailed off, before her eyes widened and she jumped in her seat, "AHA! Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner?! I'm really becoming slow in my old age!"

Haruka nearly jumped from her seat in shock when Hina began cackling mischievously and whispering about 'killing multiple birds with one stone'. Eventually, her curiosity won out over her shock.

"Granny…what the hell are you planning?"

A cheeky grin and another cackle was her only answer.

* * *

><p>"UHS! UHS! UHS!"<p>

Keitaro grunted as he swung a practice bokken in the air, painstakingly keeping his form while trying to add a bit more power and speed to his strikes. On the grass next to him was a spread-out blanket where Kanako sat reading a book, with a small bento and several old-looking scrolls lying next to her. One of them had been opened, revealing several notes and drawings depicting the different attack stances that the young swordsman was practicing.

"Are you really gonna spend the day training, Onii-chan?" Kanako asked as she watched her beloved brother finish his latest set, her eyes drinking in his slightly sweaty form as he pulled on the collar his blue training gi to get some air, "it's the first sunny day we've had since vacation started, we should go do something."

A week had passed since Hina's visit, and Keitaro's nerves had been on edge ever since she'd left after their heated conversation. He had no idea if she'd figured out his role in the Tachibana murders, and the suspense was killing him. The fact that it had rained every day for six days, which denied him his usual outlet of training in his techniques, didn't help his mind state in the slightest. However, when he'd woken up that morning and saw the sun shining in a clear blue sky, the young man jumped at the chance to let loose.

"I'm almost done, Kana-chan. I haven't had the chance to practice in almost a week, so I gotta catch up," Keitaro answered as he went to the blanket to look over the scroll again, as well as pick up a rice ball to munch on, "after I finish, we'll head back home and figure out something to do."

Kanako sighed and brushed imaginary dust off the skirt of her black Lolita-style dress, "That's if you don't get stuck on something…again…" she said in a dead tone, although the twinkle of joy in her eyes took the bite out of her words. Kanako didn't end up waiting much longer, as the young swordsman only kept at it for a few minutes before calling it a day. On their way back home, the two chatted lightly about Hina's visit, among other mundane things.

"So she did end up grilling you a bit regarding the Tachibana murders," a contemplative look spread onto Kanako's face as she mentally went over what her brother had told her, "and you're sure she doesn't know it's been you behind them?"

"Positive, but I think she's a bit suspicious," Keitaro replied, just as their house came into view, "I kinda went off on her, but she seemed to dismiss the whole thing."

The goth-looking girl sighed in relief, "Good…because the last thing you need is for her to start getting nosy."

"No kidding."

As they walked inside and removed their shoes, Saigo walked into the foyer holding onto an envelope, "Hey, welcome back. Kei-kun, I found this letter in the mail for you."

"A letter?" Keitaro asked as Saigo handed him the envelop, his eyes narrowing when he saw the return address, "…it's from Hina-obaasama…"

Kanako froze for a moment, "From grandmother?!"

Nodding his head, the young swordsman tore the top of the envelope and removed the letter. Reading it over, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "…according to this, she wants me to go to someplace called Hinata-sou to meet up with her in a couple days…weird…"

Saigo tilted his head to the side, "Hinata-sou? She must mean that inn that she runs on the other side of the city. You've never been there before, have you Keitaro-kun?"

"Can't say that I have, although I do remember hearing about it a while back," Keitaro answered as he folded the letter and placed it in the pocket of his hakama, "in any case, I wonder why she'd want to see me there…?"

Saigo shrugged and walked off, while Kanako gave her brother a nervous glance, "You don't think she…"

Keitaro shook his head, "No…if she did suspect anything, she would've said so when she came to visit. This is probably different…maybe one of her practical jokes or something."

Kanako let out a long sigh, "That actually does sound like something she'd do…hopefully it's not too troublesome…"

"Guess I'll find out eventually."

* * *

><p>Two days passed rather quickly, and Keitaro found himself taking the trolley towards the other side of the city. During the ride, the young swordsman found himself thinking of the mysterious summons. The letter hadn't really said much, other than to meet her at the inn in two days, and to plan on staying for close to a week. He'd made sure to pack for three to four days, as well as bring along his training gear. The swordsman had decided to bring <em>Ginōkami<em> with him, wrapped in a black sword bag slung under his belt on his left hip, and in a last minute twist, he'd brought _Yawarakai-te_, also concealed in a sky blue sword bag slung across his back. Before he left the house, the young man had felt a strange sensation at the back of his mind, as though he was about to leave something important. When he got to his room, that sensation became stronger after he saw the heirloom blade of his family resting in its usual spot on the sword rack above his bed.

'…_something tells me I should bring it too…but I'll only be gone for a couple days. Eh, screw it, this way I can polish it while I'm at the inn…'_

And thus he boarded the trolley with a large duffel bag of his belongings and two katanas, drawing several curious glances from the passengers. Keitaro had long grown used to being the center of unwanted attention, and simply tuned them out until he reached his stop after a couple hours. Getting off the trolley, he straightened the katana at his waist and adjusted the strap of his duffel bag before tilting his head up at the stone steps that led up the large hill.

"So this is it, huh? Well, I know what I'll be doing for my morning exercise," he quipped as he gave an appraising look at the looming staircase. Walking towards the stone steps at a leisure pace, Keitaro took a moment to admire his surroundings. This part of the city wasn't as populated as Saigo's neighborhood; in fact there were barely any other houses in the area at all. When he got to the base of the stairs, the young swordsman spotted a tea house to his right, along with a familiar face sweeping out front.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Haru," Keitaro greeted. Haruka looked up from her sweeping and used her hand to shade her eyes from the sun in order to get a look at the person who addressed her. She smiled when she recognized the short, spiky brown hair of her adopted nephew.

"Speak for yourself, kiddo," she said in a warm voice as she leaned her broom against the wall and walked over to the young man, "huh…you're taller than me now…what a pain in the ass…"

"That's what happens when puberty strikes," Keitaro smirked and gave his 'aunt' a warm hug, one she happily returned, "I guess Hina-obaasama didn't tell you I was coming?"

"She said last week that she wrote to you, but I didn't expect her to actually invite you to Hinata-sou," Haruka answered as she led her guest into the tea house, "Do you want anything? I think I have a pot of tea on the burner…"

"Tea's fine, thanks," Keitaro replied as he took a seat and removed the duffel bag from his shoulder, "so I take it Hina-obaasama is up at the inn?"

"Actually, she left not too long before you got here, something about looking into clan affairs in the north," Haruka answered while taking a small drag from her cancer stick, only to laugh at the mortified expression on Keitaro's face, "she said she'd leave a letter for you in her room at the inn, though."

"…I shoulda known she'd pull somethin like this," the swordsman fumed to himself, wrestling against the urge to get on the next trolley home, "screw it, I'm already here, might as well see what she wanted me here for and then head home after a few days."

Keitaro lifted his duffel bag and headed for the door, Haruka following behind him, "I'm just gonna go put my bag down in granny's room, then I'll come back to the tea house and we can catch up some more."

"No problem, kiddo," Haruka saw him out and watched as he ascended the rest of the stairs, before smacking her palm to her forehead as she remembered something she meant to tell the swordsman.

"Shoot…he doesn't know that the inn was turned into a girls' dorm…or that _she's_ living here too…" the tea house owner smirked slyly, "Eh, he'll be fine…besides, it's been kinda dull around here anyway…"

* * *

><p>After reaching the top of the staircase, Keitaro got his first glimpse of the Hinata-sou: a multi-story Japanese-style inn that looked to be in pretty decent condition. To the side of the main building, the swordsman could see a small stream that ran behind and to the side of the complex.<p>

As he saw the entrance to the inn, the young warrior shivered a bit from a strange sensation he got as he approached the front doors, almost as if the minute he stepped through that entryway, things would never be the same.

"…I get the feeling that walking into this place is gonna be a baaad idea…" he said to himself before he slid open the door.

If only he knew…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note -<strong> In the words of my best friend/brother who proofread this for me: Revenge burns baby! So now you've had a glimpse of Kyoshiro's routine (and not so routine) life with the Urashima Family, as well as the current dynamic between Kyoshiro, Kanako, and Naru. Since I felt the promise girl plotline wouldn't really fit well here, I decided to improvise and have Kyoshiro and Naru meet in high school, since I made them close to the same age. Fear not, there won't be any romance developing between these two...yet. There's potential for it, but there will be similar potential with the other girls. And who's this mysterious Kimiko Tachibana? Weeeeeeelllll...XP

Thanks again to all those who reviewed and followed. Honestly, y'all have destroyed a good deal of the doubts I've had about my writing ability, and I only hope this chapter and the ones to come live up to your expectations. In the next month, I'll be taking part in National Novel Writing Month, and using it to finally get started on the reboot of an original project of mine, so if my updates slow down (they've been one a week i think), that's why, but I'll do my best to get new chapters up as quick as I can. Until then, deuces til the next y'all.

Ciph signin off


	4. Chapter 3 - Meeting the Girls

**Disclaimer: **There really should be a stamp or something for this, but once again, I do not own Love Hina...but if I did..._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter III – Meeting the Girls<strong>

Slowly opening the doors, Keitaro walked into the lobby, adjusting his duffel bag and _Yawarakai-te_ so they wouldn't catch on the door frame. Immediately, the young man was hit with a powerful feeling that reminded him of home, as if the building was an old friend welcoming him back after a long absence.

'…_well that was weird…guess the stories I heard were kinda true…'  
><em>

Taking his sandals off in the foyer, he spotted several other pairs of shoes lying on a set of shelves, and his eyebrows rose when he noticed something peculiar about them.

'_They're all women's shoes…strange…'_

Deciding he'd ponder the reason for that later, Keitaro walked further into the inn, until he came upon a set of stairs, along with a counter and a few cushioned love seats and sofas next to a large potted plant. Setting his bag down on one of the chairs, the young man looked around and spotted a map depicting the layout of the inn. From what he saw on the map, there were two wings, north and south. To the west of the main building was what appeared to be a separate annex, and further north was an outdoor onsen with a forest behind it, complete with a small river. A temple at the absolute rear of the land marked the boundary before the forested area of the hill that Hinata-sou rested on began.

Keitaro whistled as he finished examining the map of the complex, "Damn…this place is HUGE…but the floor plan doesn't list where Hina-obaasama's room would be…"

Sighing to himself, the young swordsman took a seat as he figured out his next move. Before he could get too comfortable, he heard the soft padding of footsteps coming his way. Turning to his left, Keitaro saw a young girl that looked to be around twelve or thirteen years of age, with short midnight blue hair and garbed in a yellow and green sweater with a short green ruffled skirt, carrying a large basket filled with freshly picked laundry. While he couldn't make out her face, as it was hidden by the tall stack of clothes, the young swordsman could tell she was having a bit of a difficult time.

"…almost there…just a little closer…almost the-KYAH!"

The young girl tipped forward and was about to fall, dropping the basket in the process, when the agile swordsman quickly ran to her front and held the basket in place, stopping the young girl short.

"A-ah…th-thank you," the girl said with a shy, meek voice. Finally able to see her face, Keitaro felt a pang in his heart when he noticed her large, innocent blue eyes, and the familiar face of another girl superimposed itself over the bluenette's.

'…_Saya…'_

The young homemaker, on the other hand, widened her eyes in shock as she fully noticed the stranger that helped her, _'W-wait a minute…a-a-a m-m-m-man?! I-In Hinata-sou?!' _she then noticed the sword bags on his hip and across his back, _'Oh no…h-he's armed too?!'_

Keitaro noticed her backing away slowly and raised his hand in a placating gesture, "Uh, I'm sorry for the intrusion, but could you tell me where to find the manager's room? Her name's Hina and-"

Before he could finish, the frightened middle schooler took several more steps back before turning around and dashing off, leaving a dumbfounded Keitaro in her wake.

"…What the hell? Hey, wait a second!" he yelled before running after her. Unfortunately she'd gained quite a head start, and the young man lost her after several turns down the halls. Cursing to himself, he took a glance at his surroundings and figured his location to be somewhere in the southern wing of the inn.

"She's a lot faster than I thought…do I look scary or something?" he said lowly to himself as he walked down the hall to continue his search for the timid middle schooler. Turning another corner, he noticed another young girl coming from the opposite end of the hall.

'…_a foreigner?'_ was his first thought as he noticed the girl's light blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail, dark skin, and vibrant green eyes that held a child-like naiveté. She was dressed in a typical middle school sailor fuku, but didn't wear anything on her feet, leaving them bare against the hardwood floor. Seeing her stop in the middle of the hallway, Keitaro decided to try his luck, "Hey, excuse me. Could you tell me where to find the room that belongs to Hina Urashima?"

The girl gave him a puzzled look, before a large smile came across her face, "Sure! I can tell ya! But you gotta play with me first!"

"Huh?" the young swordsman blanched, question marks appearing over his head before he shrugged and answered the girl, "Uhh…sure? I'm not in a rush, so I guess we could…play. Sounds fair…"

"AWESOME! I've been wanting to test out these new attack drones I made!" said the foreign girl excitedly as she withdrew a strange looking controller that was tucked into the back of her school uniform skirt, "The others always run away when I ask them to play test dummy! Suu doesn't get why…"

"Wait…hold up. Did you just say 'attack drones'?" worry lines appearing on his forehead, the young man backed away a couple steps as his question was answered in the form of several flying disks floating from around the corner. They were about as big as a dinner plate, and had what looked to be some type of dual mini-guns mounted on top, "Aww, you gotta be KIDDING me!"

Keitaro turned and ran down the hall as the drones chased him, spitting rounds at his retreating form. Dodging several of them by a hair, the Mononobe heir ducked behind another corner and tore _Ginōkami _from the sword bag on his waist. Quickly drawing the blade, he ran down another hall and turned to face the first few drones that followed. Three of them began shooting him as soon as he was in sight, but using unprecedented speed and precision, Keitaro deflected the bullets as he ran towards the hovering drones.

"Can't believe I'm actually doing this inside an inn…oh well," Keitaro chambered his blade arm to the left before channeling ki into his father's sword, covering it in an ethereal orange light that shined like the morning sunrise and covered the blade, extending it to about double its original length, "**Hinode (Daybreak)!**"

With a single swipe across the width of the hallway, Keitaro managed to cut down the three drones effortlessly. Cutting the flow of ki, he knelt down and observed the destroyed drones with a careful eye.

"Ok…looks like they're down," he whispered to himself before looking up to see an army of the drones slowly advancing on him, led by an ecstatic looking Suu.

"Wooow! You use funny moves too?!" her grin threatened to split her face in two if it grew any wider, "Show Suu more!"

"Gods above, not again!" Keitaro jumped to his feet and ran back in the direction of the lobby, all the while ducking and dodging weapons fire from the drones, "Hina-obaasama's gonna be pissed at all this damage, ya know!"

"s'ok! Granny always said to Suu that as long as she cleans up after, she can play inside!" The energetic girl's answer almost caused the swordsman to trip, but luckily he regained his balance and ran into the lobby.

'_And that proves it! Hina-obaasama's mental!'_ Keitaro shouted in his head before noticing that in his slight moment of distraction, the drones had blocked off the exit to the outside as well as the other hallways and stairs, "…dammit…"

Suu gave the trapped man an innocent grin, one he thought didn't belong on the face of a child about to kill him, "Yay! You're the best test dummy ever! Let's play some more!"

Keitaro sighed before activating _**Hinode**_ once again, "…well, this is gonna be interesting," he shot a sharp glare towards the drones before lunging towards them in the blink of an eye, "try not to cry when I break all of your toys."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, out in the onsen behind the main complex, two young ladies were enjoying an early afternoon soak…or at least one of them was trying to. Her company was making it a bit difficult, though.<p>

"Kitsune! Get off already!" Naru yelled as she tried to escape her best friend's grabby hands, which were currently squeezing and prodding the brunette's ample breasts.

"Awww, don't be like that, hun," the mischievous voice of her friend replied back, the grin on her face becoming more vulpine as she continued her 'examination', "I'm just keepin an eye on the competition, ya know?"

As Naru continued to struggle against being violated by the prankster, both of them were startled at the sound of an explosion coming from inside. Slowly turning their heads to the entrance, they sighed as they didn't see any smoke leaking through the door.

"…2000 yen says that was Suu and another of her hair-brained devices again," Kitsune sighed before letting go of Naru and exiting the springs, giving the girl an unimpeded show of her voluptuous form. The brunette looked away quickly, trying not to feel subconscious about her somewhat smaller bosom, "I-I know better than to bet against that one. Let's just go make sure she didn't break anything valuable this time."

Following the older girl out, they both put on yukatas and walked towards the lobby, somewhat fearful of what they'd find.

* * *

><p>In a bedroom on the second floor, a tall young girl with long raven-colored hair, dressed in a white gi and crimson hakama, knelt in the middle of the floor, trying her best to meditate and clear her mind. Her soft, silent breathing was the only sound in the room, her eyes closed as she concentrated on maintaining her internal balance.<p>

'…_clear as water…still as a breeze…serene as th-'_

Her meditative thoughts were interrupted by the loud bang of an explosion coming from the lobby downstairs. Jumping to her feet, the young woman scanned her surroundings, her body tensed as though expecting an attack. Sensing nothing out of the ordinary, she walked over to her sword, _Shisui_, quickly picking it up from its resting place and sliding it into the band around her hakama.

"…It must be Suu up to her antics again. I'd better go investigate."

* * *

><p>"…sooo…cooool…"<p>

Suu slowly fell to her knees in awe as she took in the sight before her. Within 10 minutes, Keitaro had utterly destroyed every last one of her attack drones, and now stood above the slashed and burned remains of her inventions. Normally, this would probably make her upset, but it wasn't every day that she saw a stranger, a guy no less, take out more than fifty flying robots with guns.

Wiping a bit of sweat off his brow, the swordsman sheathed _Ginōkami _back in its scabbard and walked over to the awestruck girl.

"Whew… that was one hell of a workout. You really know your stuff with robots, huh?" he said as he knelt in front of the young foreigner. Her stunned expression gave way to a large grin as she replied, "Uh huh! Suu's a genius!"

Keitaro laughed a bit before gently ruffling Suu's head, unable to get angry at almost being killed by her inventions, "I guess that's one way to put it."

Suu looked up curiously at the stranger's hand in her hair, before closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of him rubbing her head. It felt good…_really _good.

"So…now that I've played with you, do you think you could tell me where-"

"My, my, what have we here?"

Keitaro looked up at the interruption and promptly froze in place as he noticed two young women in bathing yukatas enter the lobby. The one on the left he recognized instantly as his study partner and friend, Naru. However, it was the woman next to her, with short, very light brown hair, perpetually closed eyes, and a highly desirable figure, that put the fear of Buddha into him.

"…no way…y-you gotta be kidding…"

Naru looked at the stranger dressed in a grey gi and navy blue hakama with suspicion, before a shocked look came over her face once she recognized his face, "…Keitaro-san? Is that you? W-what are you doing here?!"

Keitaro wasn't even paying attention to the brunette, his wide eyes focused on Kitsune as he quickly got to his feet and pointed at the older woman, "y-you! Oni-Kitsune!"

'_Wait a damn minute, I know that voice!'_ Kitsune stared at the stranger before a large grin came to her face, "TARO-CHAN!"

Keitaro tried to escape, but Kitsune ran forward and tackled the boy back into the sofa, her well-sized chest crushing into his and bringing a prominent blush to the man's face as she rubbed her cheeks against his, "Awww, you came all the way from the other side of the city to see lil ol' me?! Well aren't you a sweetheart!"

"GET THE HELL OFF ME YOU VILE WOMAN!" Keitaro did his best to push the amorous woman off of him without touching anywhere indecent, which was a task much easier said than done. The best he was able to do was get to an upright seated position, with Kitsune hugging his waist, her cheeks still rubbing gently against his own, "Sheesh…I didn't come here for you, dammit! I didn't even know you and Naru lived here!"

"Aww, but Taro-chan~" Kitsune whined as she pulled back a bit and gave the young man her most dangerously innocent pout, "I haven't seen you at all since I graduated last year…I missed you~"

'_Who the HELL did I piss off in a past life to deserve this?!'_ Keitaro thought as he rolled his eyes at the woman's antics. Sighing to himself, he looked over at the other occupant in the room, who was giving him a look of mild irritation coupled with a little amusement, "H-hey Naru-san. Fancy seeing you here…"

Naru narrowed her eyes at the swordsman, "Riiight…mind telling me what you're doing here, Keitaro-san?"

"Well, I was summoned here by my grandmother," Keitaro began as he finally extracted himself from Kitsune's grip, much to her disappointment, "she sent me a letter a couple days ago and told me to meet her here. Her name's Hina Urashima, sound familiar?"

The brunette's eyes widened a fraction, "Wait, you mean to tell me that Granny Hina is _your_ grandmother?"

Keitaro gave the girl a deadpan look, "You've known my family name was Urashima for how many years now? Shouldn't that have given you a hint to some possible relation?"

"You can't really blame her all that much, can you Taro-chan?" Kitsune defended, giving the young man next to her one of her signature grins, "I mean back in school you never really talked about your folks much."

The young man sighed, "…why do you have to be right…"

"Cuz I'm always right, sugar!" With that, she resumed hugging her old friend, who merely surrendered and hung his head in defeat while Naru shook her head at the scene.

"Well, regardless of who your grandma is, it still isn't right for you to be here. Don't you know what this place is?"

Keitaro looked back up at the brunette after hearing her question, a confused look on his face, "…well I heard the place was an inn or something that Hina-obaasama's had in the family for generations…"

Naru huffed and frowned at her confounded male friend, "This place hasn't been an inn for a good while now. It's a girl's dorm, you knucklehead."

The man froze for a couple minutes as he processed the brunette's words, before he gave the most intelligent reply possible.

"What the hell?! A girl's dorm?!" his animated expression almost made Naru break out in a fit of laughter, having never seen such animation on the normally taciturn boy's face before, but she managed to keep her cool.

"That's right, Taro-chan! No one but us gals here!" Kitsune chimed in, squeezing the boy more to emphasize her words. The reddening blush on Keitaro's face only made her grin more, "Although I don't mind you comin to see us all the way from home…"

Keitaro sat back into the cushions of the sofa shaking his head, bringing Kitsune back with him, "Sheesh…figures Hina-obaasama would pull some bull like this…wonder what else she didn't tell me…"

"Is everything alright down here, Naru-sempai? I thought I heard a commotion…"

Keitaro sat back up and turned his head over to the stairs to find the source of the unknown, but strangely familiar voice that had just intruded into the room.

…and almost had a heart attack when he realized who it was.

'…_no…no fucking way…Hina-obaasama would NOT be THIS FUCKING STUPID!'_

The new girl was tall, only a couple of centimeters shorter than him, with long raven hair that fell to the small of her back, and stern grey eyes that held a hidden strength within them. She was garbed in a white gi that was slightly open at the top, revealing a portion of the bandages that wrapped around her chest, along with a red hakama and plain white socks. Slung on her left hip was what appeared to be a bokken, but was actually a katana without a guard, sheathed in a wooden scabbard.

Naru shook her head at the new girl, "It's ok, Motoko, just a bit of a misunderstanding…that we're still trying to understand," she said as she gestured over to Keitaro and Kitsune on the sofa. Motoko glanced over as well, before her eyes narrowed in thinly veiled disgust.

"What is a male doing here in Hinata House? Is he the reason for the disturbances?" she asked, her voice ripe with suspicion and loathing, "Did he try anything perverted?"

"What's perverted? Does it taste good?" Suu's question went ignored by the other occupants, who'd long since grown used to the foreigner's eccentrics.

Keitaro wasn't paying attention any longer, as his higher brain functions had shut down the minute he'd confirmed Motoko's identity. Panicked thoughts flittered about like an angry hive of bees in his head as he tried to rationalize what was happening.

'_No…I know for a fact Hina-obaasama wouldn't do something this ridiculous…I mean…MOTOKO AOYAMA?! OF ALL PEOPLE I COULD RUN INTO, I RUN INTO HER?!...wait…did HARU know about this?!'_

His brain rebooting and latching onto that question, Keitaro began trembling, alerting Kitsune to his growing outrage.

"H-hey sugar, you ok? You look like you seen a ghost-"

Her inquiry was interrupted when Keitaro began growling before throwing his head up at the ceiling and shouting.

"HAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

* * *

><p>Haruka was making her way up the stairs, thinking that she'd waited long enough for Keitaro to return, when she heard his booming voice from the dormitory.<p>

"HAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"…guess he finally found out the truth," she smirked to herself before taking a long drag from her cigarette, "or maybe he ran into Motoko…or both."

Finishing her climb up the stairs, the tea house owner walked through the doors to see an irate-looking Keitaro staring at her, with the girls giving him a wide berth. Motoko had a hand on the hilt of her sword, just in case the strange man did anything funny.

"You called, nephew?" she drawled lazily, her smirk widening a fraction as he glared at her.

"Haru…I think we need to talk… right now…" The no-nonsense tone in the young man's voice alerted Haruka to his irritation, and with a sigh she nodded, "Right. One of you find Shinobu and bring her down here. As for you two," she turned to Naru and Kitsune, "you might wanna get dressed in actual clothes before you catch something."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, all the residents of Hinata-sou were sitting on the chairs in the lobby, with Haruka and Keitaro leaning against the stairs. Naru had come back first, dressed in her favorite yellow sweater and red skirt with brown stockings. Kitsune came back afterwards, sporting a tight, violet dress shirt that did little to hide the shape of her ample chest, and black dress pants. Motoko was the last to return with Shinobu, who looked warily at the swordsman standing next to the tea-house owner.<p>

"Well, since everyone's back, I can start," Haruka began as she gestured over to Keitaro, "the one with a stick up his behind standing over here is my cousin/nephew and Hina's grandson, Keitaro Urashima."

The young man with his arms crossed lifted a hand in a lazy wave, "Yo."

The girls glanced at each other quickly, and Naru looked back at the young man and shrugged, "You already know who I am, and the same goes for Kitsune," she ignored how her best friend tried to strike a pose, "so we'll skip the intro."

"U-um, I-I'm Shinobu…Shinobu Maehara," the shy bluenette looked at the ground as she spoke, her timid voice barely heard by the standing swordsman, "I-I'm sorry I ran a-away before Urashima-san."

Keitaro waved her apology off, "Don't worry about it. I would've reacted the same to a strange man in an all-girls dorm if I was in your shoes. Pleased to meet ya." Shinobu looked up at him briefly with a small smile, before blushing and turning her gaze back to the floor.

"I'm Suu!" the rambunctious foreigner jumped in her seat and waved at the Mononobe heir, "Can we play again sometime?! That was fun!"

"Heh…maybe some other time, Suu," Keitaro hesitantly answered as he waved back, before slowly turning to the last member of the group, who was giving him a scathing glare.

"…Motoko Aoyama," was all the tall girl said, still trying to kill the young man with her eyes alone. Keitaro met her glare with a blank stare of his own, although it was only a cover to hide the pain in his chest at seeing his oldest friend after four years.

'…_good thing I kept the dark brown hair…to think she's so grown now, she almost looks like her sister…'_

With introductions finished, Keitaro pushed himself from the wall, "Ok…now that intros are out of the way, can I please go to Hina-obaasama's room and get this damn letter so I can see what the old bat wants from me?"

Motoko scoffed at his brash words, "Figures…no respect for your elders, typical of a vile male such as yourself." The insult threw Keitaro for a loop, "Whoa, what the hell is your problem?"

The kendo girl walked right up to his face until they were scant inches apart, a deep scowl disfiguring her beautiful face, "My problem, _cretin_, is having an unknown, most likely dangerous man present in an all-girls dorm, with two impressionable, vulnerable children around," her eyes narrowed further as they locked onto his, "especially when said male has such a foul ki as you do."

Keitaro's breath hitched momentarily, "The hell do you mean my ki feels foul?"

"I come from a family with the ability to sense and utilize ki energy," she began, not looking away from his eyes for a second, "I don't know who you are, or what you've done, but your ki has the revolting feel of someone that's treacherous to those around them. That's why I said it was foul, _bastard_."

The swordsman's eyes narrowed, his patience being tried to its limit, "…your opinion's noted. Now then, if you don't mind, could you move so I can go to Hina-obaasama's room and get this letter? I'll be outta your hair that much faster," he growled, unable to believe that the sweet, docile Mo-chan he knew was now this hateful young woman standing in front of him.

Motoko lingered for a moment before stepping out of Keitaro's path, allowing the man to head up the stairs to the second floor. Unbeknownst to the two warriors, the rest of the occupants heaved sighs of relief, most of them having been on edge during the brief altercation.

"…hold on, he still doesn't know where Granny Hina's room is, does he?" Naru asked, and after seeing Haruka shake her head, quickly got up from her seat and ran after the hapless swordsman, grumbling all the way about idiots running off half-cocked.

* * *

><p>"Sorry…I guess in my rush to get her out of my face, I forgot I still had no damn clue where the manager's room was," Keitaro apologized as he and Naru walked towards the room Hina usually occupied. The brunette shook her head, "Don't worry about it…at least you didn't end up in one of the other girls' rooms…Motoko would skin you alive if that happened."<p>

The young swordsman's eyes darkened a bit at the thought of his former friend, "Yea…riling her up wouldn't be a good idea. Why is she so hostile, by the way?" he asked as he looked over at the girl next to him, "…did you infect her with your 'all men are only perverted devils to be destroyed' mantra too?"

Naru punched his arm, eliciting a small laugh from the man, before answering, "For your information, buster, she was already like that when she first came here. From what she told us, she left home after her sister got married or something…said her parents thought she needed to grow as a person on her own, so they sent her here."

'_So Tsuruko-sempai got hitched…meaning that Motoko's the heir to the Shinmei-ryuu,"_ Keitaro thought as he and Naru approached the door to Hina's room, _'…that doesn't explain her hatred for men though…guess that's a mystery to solve another day…'_

"Here we are," Naru's voice brought Keitaro out of his thoughts as the girl slid the door open. Inside was rather bland, with just a futon, a desk with a flat-screen television, a dresser in the corner, a couple chairs and a large, empty closet for clothes and other belongings. The two walked over to the desk, where a sealed envelope rested under a paper weight shaped like a lotus flower.

"It's addressed to me, so I guess this is it," Keitaro picked up the letter and opened it. As he read, the look on his face became more and more annoyed, until finally he threw it back onto the desk, his patience finally running out.

"What the HELL is that old windbag thinking?! Seriously!"

Curious as to what got the man so frazzled, Naru picked up the letter and slowly read its contents, "Hmm…let's see..."

'_Dear Keitaro-kun,_

_My sincerest apologies for not being able to meet you at this time, but in preparation for my global hot springs tour, I had to head north to oversee a few things that needed my attention. I should be back at the end of the week. In the meantime, I was wondering if you'd mind looking after Hinata-sou as my interim manager while I'm gone. Normally I'd ask Haruka to do it, but she's become so busy with her tea shop, I figured it would be a terrible bother. I know you start school again in a couple of days, but there's a trolley here you can take that'll get you to school faster than you would from your home. Please try to get along with the girls, I know you're a loner at heart, but do give them a chance. They just might grow on you. I'll contact you at the end of the week and we'll meet up to talk. Take care 'til then!_

_Your loving grandmother,_

_Hina Urashima_

After finishing the letter, Naru looked over at her friend, who was still fuming to himself about his new predicament, "Well I guess I can see why you're a little mad…and this is kinda weird, even for Granny Hina."

"You don't know her like I do, Naru-san, so trust me when I say this is EXACTLY something she'd do," Keitaro spat as he glared at the letter, wishing it would self-combust, "She ALWAYS has to meddle in my damn life…"

"But it's only until the end of the week, right?" the brunette set the letter back on the desk and turned to face her upset study partner, "I mean, things'll be a little off for a bit…and personally I'm not a fan of the idea either, but we just have to endure it for a few days. That shouldn't be too hard."

Keitaro's gaze hardened at Naru's somewhat lighthearted outlook on the matter, "Yea…tell that to the others…or rather, tell that to kendo girl downstairs. That'll go over real nice."

"…Yea that IS gonna suck," Naru cringed at the thought of telling the resident swordswoman about the idea, "but you never know, maybe she'll warm up to it?"

* * *

><p>She didn't…at all.<p>

"ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!" Motoko seethed as she slammed her fist on the table. After bracing themselves for the inevitable, Keitaro and Naru returned downstairs to find everyone seated at the dining room table. Motoko threw a nasty glare at Keitaro the minute he entered her line of sight, and instantly the young man knew she'd have a conniption fit over Hina's message. To his misfortune, he was right.

"No need to fly off the handle, Motoko-chan," Kitsune waved her hand dismissively, trying to bring calm back to the table, "Granny said it was only until the end of the week. Nothing to get so upset over…"

"It's still improper! A man has no place living in a girls' dormitory! Even if it's temporarily!" the kendo girl argued, her face already mostly red with anger. Shinobu and Suu glanced back and forth between their elders as they debated the issue, one with an anxious expression, and the other in child-like confusion.

"But why can't Keitaro stay here?" Suu asked Motoko, unable to comprehend the problem with having the man that had played with her and shown her his killer moves staying with them, "He's awesome! He can do strange moves like you, Motoko!"

Keitaro facepalmed at Suu's outburst, while everyone at the table minus Haruka turned to him with intrigued stares, "Good grief, it was just ONE technique…no big deal…"

"Maybe to you and me, kiddo, but these girls just met you," Haruka said as she lit another cigarette, "matter of fact, apart from Motoko, they've never seen anyone else use ki techniques."

"Wait, so you can really use those funny moves like Motoko?" Naru asked, slight shock etched onto her lovely face, _'I swear, it's like the surprises never end with him…'_

"Well…not exactly," Keitaro scratched behind his head bashfully, "we're from different schools, so the stuff we learn isn't really the same-"

"Who cares about his inferior skill set?!" Motoko interrupted, both to Keitaro's relief and chagrin, "You're all forgetting the point! He shouldn't be allowed to stay here!" she pointed over to Shinobu and Suu, "Don't you recall that he scared poor Shinobu half to death? Or that he destroyed all of Suu's devices so violently? He's dangerous!"

"U-um…actually," Shinobu interjected, "He s-saved me from falling and h-hurting myself, and even s-stopped the basket of clothes I had from g-getting messed up on the floor," she meekly turned to Keitaro, a small blush forming on her cheeks, "I-if he m-meant to h-harm us, he wouldn't have helped me like he did…"

"Oh, how cuuute~, he was Shinobu's knight in shining armor," Kitsune teased, prompting the timid bluenette to quickly look at the table, her face even more red, "but if what she says is true, then he's harmless! Besides, of all the guys I knew at school, he always had the most restraint, even when I pranked him!"

"…please don't remind me…I still get nightmares about those dark days," Keitaro placed a hand to his forehead, trying his best to shake those awful memories of Kitsune's flirting out of his mind. The coy freelancer laughed and gestured towards him, "See? If he really was a perv like you say, Motoko-chan, then he'd have done something long ago."

The kendo girl refused to budge on the matter, however, "Well just because he didn't fall prey to your feminine wiles back then, Kitsune-sempai, doesn't mean he won't do something in the future! Besides, he's armed! Doesn't that ring any alarm bells?"

"…forgive me for playing devil's advocate, but aren't you armed too, Motoko-chan?" The tall girl blushed heavily at Naru calling her out, unable to make a proper response, "You've carried your sword everywhere for as long as you've been here. We had to put faith in you, and you proved to be harmless. I've been friends Keitaro-san for a while, and even though I don't know him well, I know enough to say he'd never harm anyone that didn't provoke him."

The small smile the brunette sent his way warmed Keitaro's heart. He'd never had anyone outside of his family show such faith in his character before, and if he hadn't considered his study partner to be a valued friend before, he sure as hell did now.

Seeing that Motoko was about to continue the argument however, Keitaro raised a hand to stall her, "Ok…I can tell you're obviously not happy with this situation…and honestly, I'm not a fan of it either," the man didn't notice the slightly hurt looks that came to Suu, Kitsune, and even little Shinobu's faces, "but Hina-obaasama said it was just until the end of the week. If anything, I'll either be at school, cram school, or training most of the time, so you'll barely see me. After the week's up, Hina-obaasama'll be back, I'll go home, and you'll never have to see me again."

'…_and my secret won't be facing a loaded gun anymore'_ he added as an afterthought. Motoko still looked at him sternly, but after a few moments, she rose from her seat and roughly brushed past the swordsman, "Hmph…very well. But mark my words, Urashima-teme, if you commit so much as one act of perversion on anyone in this house…I'll throw you to the curb myself."

"Noted," the swordsman growled at the kendo girl's retreating back. Seeing the mood at the table taking a downward turn after Motoko's departure, Haruka spoke up, "So kiddo, you're taking the college exams soon, right? Saigo-nii told me you're aiming for Todai?"

"Yea, I figured I'd give it a shot…see if I-"

"TODAI!?"

Keitaro nearly jumped out of his seat at the surprised outburst from Suu, Shinobu, and Kitsune, with only Naru not shouting like the others, but still appearing pleasantly surprised.

"So you decided to go for Todai for real? What program are you looking into?" asked the excited brunette.

"Well, I figure archaeology would be a good field to try…I've had a bit of a fascination for ancient civilizations around the world," Keitaro tilted his head forward, his hair shadowing his eyes, "…my dad, when he went to college he studied in that field…said he had a blast and he thought I should try it."

Only Haruka noticed the faint tinge of sadness in the man's voice, as the other girls simply continued to bombard him with questions. The familiar pain in her heart pulsed at the memory of the man that was like an uncle to her.

'_Kazuya…he's gonna be just like you, I can tell already…it's terrible you can't be here to see this…'_

"Anyway…hate to bail already, but after everything that happened today, I'm bushed," Keitaro let out a yawn to show his fatigue, "think I can take my stuff up to Hina-obaasama's room now and catch a few winks before dinner?"

"Sure, go ahead kiddo," Haruka dismissed as she headed for the exit to the dorms, "I have to get back to the tea shop anyway. Call me if ya need anything, Kei."

"Will do," the swordsman waved goodbye as the tea shop owner left, before turning to the stairs, only to see the remaining girls standing in front of him, "Everything ok girls?"

"Yea, but since you're gonna be living here for a few days, we figured we'd give you a proper greetin!" Kitsune said before she and the rest of the girls gave the now slightly flustered young man a bow.

"Welcome to Hinata-sou!"

* * *

><p>After reaching his temporary room and setting his duffel bag on the small carpet, Keitaro quickly set about trying to find the best possible hiding place for <em>Yawarakai-te<em>. Now that he knew Motoko was a resident at Hinata-sou (something he swore painful revenge on Hina for not telling him sooner), keeping the heirloom blade out in the open was a TERRIBLE idea.

'_No way in hell am I letting her see that thing…now where can I hide you…'_ he thought as he checked for loose floorboards, hidden panels in the walls, anything that could hint at a potential hiding spot for the beautiful katana. Eventually, he found a false set of floor boards near the rear of the room, located under the window. Lifting them up, the swordsman grinned at the secret compartment that would be large enough to hide _Yawarakai-te_ until his departure at the end of the week.

'_Jackpot! Alright…now I just gotta figure a good time to polish it…'_ a wry grin came to his face as he remembered the other times he'd tried to polish the blade. The ethereal glow sometimes made it difficult to tell whether his efforts were productive or not.

Gripping the blade in his hands, Keitaro gently pulled it from its scabbard, the room instantly becoming awash with divine white light. Reluctantly, he sheathed the blade again before placing it in the compartment and shutting the lid.

"Alright…one problem down, now to find a spot where I can trai-"

"Hey, Taro-chan!"

Keitaro jumped in surprise, a hand quickly going to the hilt of _Ginōkami_ before stopping himself when he recognized Kitsune kneeling next him, an amused smirk on her face, "Dammit Oni-Kitsune, don't DO that!"

"Now why would you call your nee-chan such a terrible, mean name Taro-chan?" her fake pout and crocodile tears did nothing to phase the young man, who shot her a deadpan look in return, "…because you're a pranking demon who doesn't know the meaning of the word restraint."

"Aww, I didn't get ya _that _bad back in school, did I?" the voluptuous trouble maker asked innocently, "Besides, it's not mah fault ya had such adorable reactions, I didn't even have to try that hard!"

Keitaro facepalmed yet again (something that was a normal occurrence whenever Kitsune was around him) as the playful woman brought up memories he'd rather forget, "Sheesh…why do you have to be so…so…"

"So…what?" Kitsune asked, leaning in dangerously close to Keitaro's face, making the man blush something fierce, "What do you think of me .chan~?"

Her seductive voice mixed with the lovely feminine scent she wore nearly drove the poor man insane, the interim landlord barely managing to keep his composure as the woman seemed to inch closer-

"Kitsune…could you please not turn my study partner into a pile of mush with your jokes? I still need him later."

The two tilted their heads to the ceiling, where they saw Naru's upside down head poking into the room from a rather large hole. Keitaro raised a curious eyebrow at the brunette, "Uhh…has that hole always been there?"

"Mhmm! Me and Granny use it to talk sometimes when she's around," Naru answered before turning to her best friend, "I thought you said you were going back to your room to write some article."

Kitsune got to her feet and dusted her knees off before replying, "I was…then I noticed Taro-chan's door was open so I decided to pop in and say hi!" she engulfed the now standing man in a hug, purposely crushing her sizeable assets to his back, "I haven't seen him in forever, so I thought we'd…catch up a bit."

Keitaro fought hard against the urge to channel his ki and throw the woman off him, instead electing to just let the moment pass. _'If I did, she'd just hop back on anyway…how the hell am I gonna survive a week living with this demon?'_

Deciding that she'd seen her friend in enough distress for one day, Naru shot a blank look at the amorous older woman, "…well you can catch up with him later in the week. I figured now would be a good time to get some studying in before dinner."

"Alright, alright, I know when I'm beat," the vulpine-like woman reluctantly released Keitaro from her hold and sauntered out of the room, making a point to sway her shapely hips as she got one last parting shot, "Don't do anything with him that I wouldn't do, Naru-chan!"

The sound of embarrassed stuttering and vehement denials from the two students followed the grinning vixen next door to her room.

* * *

><p>"I swear…I lose at least a year of my life when I'm near that woman," Keitaro complained as he sat at the small desk in his room, "Thanks for saving me back there, Naru-san."<p>

The lovely brunette waved her hand dismissively, "It's no big. I forgot how much she liked to mess with you, but then again, you DO make it really easy for her," she smirked at the swordsman from her seat on the rolled-up futon, "I never woulda thought you'd be so afraid of girls."

"I'm not afraid of girls, dammit!" Keitaro yelled comically, sending Naru into a fit of giggles, "it's just her that puts me on edge! Normally I can read people just fine, but with her I have no frickin idea! It's annoying!"

His study partner/friend did her best to settle down, wiping a tear of mirth from her eyes, "Ok, ok, whatever you say, Keitaro-san. So how about we get to studying? Cram school starts the day after tomorrow, but it won't hurt to get ready for it early."

The swordsman nodded, glad to be off the topic of the troublesome Kitsune, "I hear ya. Wanna head to the library?"

Naru giggled again, confusing the young heir, "Silly, we can just study here. I have a kotatsu in my room so we can stay warm, and Shinobu'll call us down when it's time for dinner."

Keitaro's brow creased as he remembered the timid bluenette that stuck up for him against Motoko, "Hmm…I think I'll skip dinner, since I had a big breakfast. While you and the girls eat, I'll go find a spot to train."

"You sure? Shinobu's cooking is top notch," Naru questioned, feeling puzzled at her friend's plans to train instead of eat dinner with her and the others. When he nodded, she simply shrugged the matter off and proceeded to jump into the hole in the ceiling, pulling herself into her room. When she cleared the hole, she turned back to look down at her study partner, "Just gimme a minute to freshen up my room a bit, then you can come on up."

"…I doubt it's that messy," Keitaro quipped, before dodging a stuffed animal that Naru threw at him from above, "Oi!"

"I'm a girl, dammit! I can't just let a guy into my room when it's not clean!" she yelled before sealing the hole with a wooden tile. Keitaro sighed as he sat in the middle of his room and began to meditate in preparation for the study session.

'…_why are girls so impossible…?'_

* * *

><p>After studying for a few hours with Naru, Keitaro bid her goodbye as she headed for dinner. Despite her best attempts, including her infamous 'pout of death', the lovely brunette was unable to convince him to join the girls for dinner.<p>

Heading up the stairs, the young swordsman found himself on an empty deck with a line strung up for drying laundry. Looking around, he took a deep breath of the early evening air, "This place seems more alive than the park at home…perfect to get some training done."

Unsheathing _Ginōkami_, the swordsman took a few practice swings before setting himself into an attack stance. For the next several minutes, he went through his katas, the blade whistling in the air from the speed of his swings. Keitaro shut out everything on the outside, focusing purely on being at one with his father's sword.

'_It almost feels like he's here with me somehow,' _he reflected as he began practicing a different set of attack techniques. He was brought out of his reverie by a timid, awed voice.

"So…pretty…"

Pausing, Keitaro turned to the stairs, where a blushing Shinobu stood watching him with a book in her hands. "Oh, hey Shinobu-chan. What's up?"

"Oh! Um," the girl fidgeted in place as she stared at the ground, too embarrassed to look the man in the eye, "Well…you didn't c-come down for dinner so…I-I was w-wondering if you were alright."

The swordsman chuckled, "Yea, I'm ok. Sorry for worrying you," he glanced at the book in her hands, "Hey, what do you have there?"

Shinobu brought the book up to her chest, "Oh, it's just some homework I was going to start. I'm really not that good at math, and I-I figured I'd ask Naru-sempai if she could help."

"Oh, that right?" Keitaro sheathed his blade and walked over to the bluenette, "Let me take a look at that. Maybe I can help a bit."

"Auuu…you don't have to," Shinobu waved her arms excitedly, swirls appearing in her eyes, "You were practicing and I don't want to be a b-bother!"

Keitaro chuckled and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "Hey, take it easy! I don't mind at all. Consider it my apology for not coming to dinner. I heard from Naru-san that your cooking's awesome, I'll have to try it sometime!"

Shinobu was about to object, but the small grin on the swordsman's face completely disarmed her. Taking a seat on the wooden floor, Keitaro went through the girl's notes and homework, doing his best to explain to her the different concepts and formulas. By the end of the impromptu tutoring session, the sun had almost fully set in the sky, creating a lovely orange hue up above.

"And then you multiply these two to get to here, and you're done," Keitaro finished. Shinobu re-read the process and beamed at him, "I think I get it now. Thank you, you're really smart, Urashima-san!" she blushed a bit and turned her gaze to the ground next to her, "Um…can I call you sempai?"

'_How can I say no to that face?'_ the swordsman thought amusedly as he smiled back at the girl, "Sure, I'm fine with that Shinobu-chan."

The timid girl blushed again before reaching for something behind her, "Oh, I almost forgot, I made these earlier today. Please try some."

Keitaro looked down and saw a small plate of assorted cookies, "Don't mind if I do, thank you." After popping one into his mouth, the swordsman's face lit up, "These are amazing!"

"Really? I just learned how to make them today," Shinobu giggled, feeling much more at ease with the man next to her, "I'm glad you like them!"

Seeing her smile brought another painful lance through Keitaro's chest as he once again saw the frightening similarities between the bluenette and his departed sister, _'The more I spend time with this one, the more she reminds me of her…you two would've gotten along perfect together…'_

Rising from her spot on the floor, Shinobu walked past the laundry deck and onto the roof, "It's funny I found you here, actually…right next to my favorite place," she began as she ventured further onto the slope of the roof. Keitaro got up and joined her, making sure he could catch her if she fell, "Interesting…you can see the whole city from this place. It's a beautiful view."

"Do you mind if I ask you a strange question, Sempai?" Shinobu asked from her spot next to him. Seeing him nod, she walked back to the deck and placed her hands at the railing, "How does it feel to shoot for a goal like Todai?"

Keitaro scratched the back of his head as he also returned to the deck, "Well…it's a bit hard to describe really…"

The bluenette smiled sadly, "I bet it's happiness that you're feeling…to aim for such a high place, knowing you'll make it for sure. But me on the other hand," her gaze drooped as she hung over the railing a bit, "I'm so stupid…I could study for an eternity, and still never get in."

The swordsman felt his heart ache at the melancholy tone in the bluenette's voice, before pushing it away and gently grabbing her shoulder, "That's a damn lie. You have just as good a chance as anyone else."

"You don't understand, Sempai. You're really smart so," Shinobu began, but Keitaro interrupted her.

"It's not just about being smart, it's about having the will to see things through, and a strong enough desire to reach for your goals," he said in a warm, firm voice that resonated within the small girl before him, "If you have the right mindset, then almost anything is possible. So cheer up, and go for it Shinobu-chan."

Shinobu looked up at him in awe, a deep blush on her cheeks, before nodding and giving him a wide smile, "I will! Thank you!"

"No problem," Keitaro grinned and let go of her shoulder, the young girl's smile waning a bit as she felt the warmth of his hand leave her. Shaking her head, she turned to the stairs to leave, "To be honest, my grades in school haven't been so good for a while, so I was feeling really nervous about it. But you've given me hope! Will you help me study again?"

The swordsman didn't hesitate, "I'll do what I can. It may be a bit tough after I go home again, but we'll work something out for sure."

The shy young girl smiled again and waved before heading down the stairs, completely oblivious as she passed Naru, who'd been trying to find her friend and arrived in time to hear his pep-talk. Looking up the stairs, the bespectacled brunette could barely make out the swordsman resuming his training. Slowly, a smile drew itself on her face.

'_Well aren't you a little softie Keitaro-san…'_

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kitsune stretched as she, Motoko, and Suu walked past the now occupied manager's room. Noticing the door was open, the flirtatious woman peeked in, only to see Keitaro meditating in the middle of his room, his back turned to them.<p>

"Well look at that," the flirtatious woman preened, "Up and meditatin at first light! He really is just like you, isn't he Motoko-chan?"

The kendo girl frowned and took a quick peek into the room as well, "I have nothing in common with that perverted bastard, Kitsune-sempai. Do well to remember that."

"Sheesh, lighten up, will ya?" Kitsune sighed. Suu looked between the two before glancing behind her at the sound of footsteps. Seeing Shinobu and Naru walking towards them, she grinned and waved, "Mornin you two!"

"Good morning!" Shinobu returned the greeting enthusiastically. Noticing the others peeking into the manager's room, the young homemaker walked up to the door and sighed at the sight of her Sempai, "Wow…Sempai's so cool."

"I never knew he was into meditating," Naru mused as she glanced into the room, "he does a lot of the same things you do, Motoko."

"As I just finished telling Kitsune-sempai, me and that _monkey_ are nothing alike," Motoko growled and walked off stiffly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have training to get to."

Suu watched the taller girl walk off, "Suu doesn't get it. Why does Motoko hate Keitaro so much? He's really nice!" she asked the older girls. Kitsune rubbed a hand in the foreigner's hair, "She's just takin a while to warm up to 'im. Give it a couple more days, and she'll start to like 'im juts as much as you do."

Heedless of the others' conversation, Shinobu watched as her Sempai meditated a bit longer before perking up, "Right! I have to do my best too!"

Silence prevailed as Shinobu became the subject of three different stares. Noticing the attention on her, the young girl blushed, "Oh…sorry!"

"Workin hard too, huh? Someone got a crush on Taro-chan?" Kitsune teased, causing the homemaker to redden and wave her arms about her wildly in an attempt to deny the accusation. Naru sighed as she watched them carry on, "Kitsune, please don't tease her this early in the morning."

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Naru," Kitsune whined before saddling up to her friend's side, "But ya know…despite him bein all lone wolf yesterday, this place seems like it perked up a bit when he got here, ya know?"

Glancing back into the room and briefly recalling the uplifting talk the swordsman had given to Shinobu, the bespectacled Todai aspirant smiled, "Yea…I guess you could say that. Anyway, let's go get breakfast."

As the girls headed downstairs, Keitaro finally came out of his meditation-induced trance. Glancing around questioningly, the young man scratched the back of his head.

"Why do I feel like I missed something?"

* * *

><p>That night, Keitaro found himself going over his homework assignments for the next day, the small table he was sitting at strewn with several papers. Going over the problems he'd solved one last time, he let out a sigh of relief.<p>

"That takes care of that. Better pack these away before I forget em in the morning," he said to himself as he began packing away his assignments, leaving the table bare save for his _tenchuu _journal. Staring at it for a moment, the Mononobe heir picked it up and flipped through the pages until he found the charts and lists of the Tachibana Pillars.

'_It's only been a few weeks…I'll have to wait at least a couple more months before I can go after the next one.'_

The sound of a plate being set on the table jostled the young swordsman out of his calculative thoughts. Glancing up from his seat on the floor, Keitaro finally noticed Naru as she finished setting down a plate of oddly-shaped rice balls, an additional plate with a small tea kettle and two tea mugs held in her other hand.

"Still hard at work, huh?" the brunette asked as she took a seat next to the young swordsman. Keitaro chuckled, "Actually, I just finished up the assignments for tomorrow a couple minutes ago," he pointed at the rice balls on the table, "I see you still can't shape rice balls properly to save your life."

"Jerk!" Naru playfully punched the man in the arm, eliciting another round of chuckling from him, "I made them for you, but if you're gonna make fun of me, then I'll just take em back."

"I was kiddin, take it easy," Keitaro placated, raising his arms in mock surrender, "Thanks a lot. You didn't have to do this for me."

Naru smiled at her friend and shook her head, "Yea, I do. I heard what you told Shinobu on the deck yesterday. She's been feeling really upset about her grades lately, and what you told her seemed to perk her up back to normal."

Keitaro turned his head to better face the girl next to him, "I don't think I did anything special. She's a bright kid that just needs to have a little more faith in herself," he reached for one of the misshapen rice balls and took a bite, "wow…delicious! You're a pretty good cook yourself."

The brunette blushed at the man's praise, "T-thanks…but seriously, she's really starting to get back to her regular self because of you, so," she poked Keitaro's forehead, grinning, "give yourself some more credit, mister!"

"Well when you put up an argument like that," Keitaro laughed, before focusing his gaze a bit more on Naru. She was sitting in front of the balcony, with the starry night sky and slight view of the city below acting as the perfect backdrop. He felt the faint stirrings of something as he took in how the brunette's hair seemed to shine in the moonlight, courtesy of the dimmed lights in his room.

"Huh…can't believe I never noticed before," Naru's voice brought the contemplative man out of his muse, only to start fighting off a blush as he noticed the lovely girl's face was a lot closer to his than he remembered, "Huh? Noticed what?"

"When I look at you up close like this, you're pretty cute," she said, her words being the final bomb that destroyed Keitaro's defenses, the man's cheeks coloring instantly, "Heh...I really don't know how to respond to that…thank you?"

Naru giggled before she noticed the journal on the table, "Hey, what's this?"

Keitaro quickly grabbed up the book before she could see its contents, "It's nothing…just a regular old journal!"

"You keep a journal? Lemme see," Naru reached for the book, but Keitaro lifted it into the air above his head. Growing determined, the bespectacled girl tackled Keitaro's chest, laying them both flat against the floor.

"C'mon, hand it over!"

"Not a chance! It's just a dingy old book, no big deal!"

"If it's not such a big deal, then lemme see it!"

This was the scene Kitsune, Motoko, Shinobu, and Suu walked in on only minutes later, the mischievous prankster of the group giggling at the sight, "Why Naru, I didn't know you 'n Taro-chan got so close! I'm jealous!"

Stopping at the sound of her voice, the two grew painfully aware of their current state: Keitaro was lying on the ground on his back between Naru's legs, the girl half straddling, half lying on top of him. Both could feel their chests squished against each other's, and their faces were close enough that they could feel the other's quick breaths.

Before anyone else could comment, the two sprang away from each other as if repelled by a magnet, and stood up from their spot on the ground, "D-d-don't you knock anymore, Oni-Kitsune?!" Keitaro stammered out as he tried to wipe the blush from his face unsuccessfully.

"….What did I tell you about acts of perversion in the Hinata-sou, Urashima-teme…" Motoko growled as she began to unsheathe her _Shisui_. Shinobu looked at her two sempais teary-eyed while Suu was giving them a playful smile, "That game Keitaro and Naru were playing looked like fun! Can Suu play too?"

"Nothing happened Kitsune!" Naru defended staunchly, her friend staring at her disbelievingly, "Honest! We were just talking!"

"Looked like y'all were doin a lot more than talkin," Kitsune pouted, "Ya shoulda called me over! I wanna 'talk' to Taro-chan too, and you had 'im all to yourself for almost a year!"

As the commotion within the room continued, no one noticed the buxom figure of Haruka standing just outside the door, a smirk on her face as she watched Keitaro's interactions with the residents.

'_Well how 'bout that…looks like Kei-chan's fitting in just fine. Hina's gonna love this…'_

* * *

><p>"Are they always like that?" Keitaro asked his friend as the two walked to the tram across from Haruka's tea house. After the craziness of the previous night, in which the swordsman had to evade a furious Motoko's attacks, Keitaro was beginning to second-guess his choice to stay at the Hinata-sou until Hina returned. Next to him, Naru sighed in exasperation.<p>

"Not all the time…it's mostly Kitsune that gets everyone riled for one reason or another. You just became a convenient target."

The Mononobe heir hung his head dejectedly as they approached the tracks. Spotting something gleaming in the early morning sunlight to his side, Keitaro turned and saw a mini print shop across the street. Immediately, he was bombarded by a long-forgotten memory.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, Kyo-nii,' a 5-year old Saya pulled on Kyoshiro's hand curiously, 'What's that over there?"<em>

"_I think that's a photo booth or somethin," a 9-year old Kyoshiro answered as the two came to a stop next to the booth. "It takes pictures and you can pick really funny or really cool frames. You wanna try?"_

"_Can we?" Saya asked excitedly. At her brother's nod, she cheered, "Yay! C'mon, Kyo-nii!"_

"_Ok, ok, let's go!"_

* * *

><p>"Keitaro?"<p>

"Huh?" Keitaro looked over at Naru, who was staring at him worriedly, "What's up?"

"I was gonna ask _you_ that," the brunette answered, "You looked across the street and then froze for five minutes…"

Mentally, the young man cursed as he regained his composure, "I did? Sorry about that. The booth over there caught my attention for a second."

Naru followed her friend's eyes over to the mini photo booth, "Don't tell me you're into those things," she teased.

"I used to be when I was a kid," Keitaro began, fighting to keep the pain out of his voice as he remembered his old collection of print booth photos he'd taken with his family. The book was one of many precious belongings he'd lost in the fire that night, "but I stopped a while ago. It's kid stuff, really."

Before they could continue on their way, a voice called out to them, "There you two are." Turning to look behind them, the two noticed Haruka walking out of the tea shop, a small packet of papers in her hand.

"Haru? You were looking for us?" Keitaro asked as the tea shop owner stopped within a few steps of the two high school students, "What's up?"

"Huh…didn't know you and Naru were so close," Haruka noted, giving the two an appraising stare. Naru blushed slightly and stammered out a vehement denial, while Keitaro simply countered with a deadpan stare of his own, "Haru…stay focused. Why were you looking for us?"

"Well…not both of you, just you. And something's happened. Something big," the way she spoke sent a tingle down the swordsman's spine. As if something horrible was about to happen and he'd have no way to stop it.

"Something big? Does it have anything to do with Hina-obaasama?" he asked. The serious tone of the conversation brought Naru out of her embarrassed sputtering, the girl now looking on questioningly between the two Urashimas.

Haruka sighed, bracing herself for the inevitable storm, "It'll probably be easier if you just read this letter," she said as she handed over the bundle of papers to Keitaro. The swordsman's eyes locked onto hers for a moment before they shifted down and began reading Hina's latest letter. As he read further into the letter, his skin began to pale, until he was nearly white as a ghost.

"…no…you can't be…SHE can't be…w-what the HELL IS THIS!?"

Curious, Naru peeked over her friend's shoulder and began reading the letter, "Lemme see, dear grandson, yada yada yada," she soon reached the portion of the letter that had caused such a severe reaction in her friend, her face also losing much of its color, "No…fucking…way…"

Haruka simply took another drag on her cigarette as she watched the two, "Yes fucking way. Normally I'd ask you what you plan to do about it, but it's not like you have much of a choice."

"…all my hate Haru…"

* * *

><p>Keitaro stood across from the rest of the girls of the Hinata-sou, half of him wanting nothing more than to bolt back home to the other side of the city and never come back, the other half wanting to find Hina and gut her like a fish.<p>

"So you're probably wondering why I asked all of you down here when me and Naru should be in class by now," he began, looking each girl in the eye. So far, he had their attention, "Well, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna spill it."

"You and Naru have a love-child or something, Taro-chan?" Kitsune teased, earning a round of sputtering from her best friend and the other girls.

"No, you oni-kitsune," Keitaro continued, fighting the blush on his face, "Haru recently got a letter from Hina-obaasama. She decided to leave on her trip immediately due to…_reasons_, and as such, has decided to relinquish ownership of Hinata-sou and all of its surrounding lands to her recognized heir and grandson…"

The girls looked at him confusedly, unable to grasp what he was trying to say. It was Shinobu that ended up asking him, "So…what does that mean, Sempai?"

"It means," Keitaro paused for a second, as he felt that somehow, someway, his next words would throw his life, his plans, and his _Tenchuu_ into a direction he'd never planned to go, one that would change everything.

"…It means Hina just made me the official landlord and owner of the girls' dormitory, Hinata-sou."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hey guys, how's it goin? So, first off, my apologies for the extremely long absence. I thought that I would be able to juggle my novel for NaNoWriMo and this, but 50000 words in a month is a lot harder to do than I thought, and even harder when you try to juggle two stories. Funny thing was, I could've used this fan fiction since that was an allowed story type (you can all laugh now). Anyway, I finished the challenge (got to 50089 words before the deadline), so now I should have time to start writing more chapters here again. I won't be as quick with them since I still have to finish the other novel and the holiday season is coming up, but I shouldn't take a month like before.

So here you have Keitaro meeting the girls. I'm not sure if I got all of their personalities right and whatnot, but I'm pretty happy with how things came out. Not a lot of action in this one, and there probably won't be save for one scene next chapter. It's gonna cover a lot, so it'll be a long one, but I can't wait to start writing it. So until next time, stay frosty!

...actually, screw that, stay warm. The cold SUCKS, and we're starting to feel it where I am now...not cool (pun NOT intended).

- ciph signin out


	5. Chapter 4 - Rough Adjustments

**Chapter IV – Rough Adjustments**

Under the darkened, pre-morning sky of a crisp winter morning, Keitaro lay on the roof of Hinata-sou with a blank stare as he looked up at the stars. The passing breeze did nothing to discomfort him in the slightest, nor did the snow that had been deposited on the ground the previous day. As he stared at the heavens above, the swordsman sighed and contemplated his newest lot in life.

'_I probably shouldn't be surprised at Hina-obaasama for all this…but dammit…,'_ he thought as he took another look at the crumpled letter in his hand. Kanako had written to him a few days ago, complaining about how Hina had suddenly appeared at their home and 'kidnapped' the girl to begin her training in the Urashima clan martial arts. Over the course of only a few days, the shrewd clan head had thrown the proverbial monkey wrench into all of Keitaro's future plans, as without his sister's skills with masks and disguises, fulfilling his _Tenchuu_ would become far more challenging.

"Speaking of hassles…" Keitaro glanced over at the deck, where he could make out the suspended line that Shinobu used to dry everyone's clothes after washing. He smiled wryly to himself as he recalled the events that followed after the bombshell announcement he'd delivered only days ago…

* * *

><p>"…<em>It means Hina just made me the official landlord and owner of the girls' dormitory, Hinata-sou."<em>

_For several moments, not a sound was heard from anyone, as the girls minus Naru stared at the young man incredulously. Just as he thought he might have broken them…_

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?"_

_Keitaro jumped back and rubbed his aching ears, giving Kitsune the chance to grab the letter and the official documents from his hands while he recovered, "Lemme see that, Taro-chan!"_

_Before he could react, the rest of the girls crowded around the resident prankster and combed through the letter with sharp eyes. After re-reading it several times, Kitsune threw the documents in the air and jumped at the swordsman, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing hard, "Yayy! Taro-chan is here ta stay!"_

_Back with the others, Shinobu glanced over to the rigid man and quickly looked down at the ground with a light blush, however the small smile on her face gave away her thoughts about the new addition to their little group. Suu began jumping around in celebration, eventually joining Kitsune in glomping Keitaro. Only one person really had any objection s._

"_I refuse to accept this! A man has no business managing an all girl's dorm!" Motoko shouted furiously after catching the documents to read over again. Shooting the most caustic glare she could at the new manager, the fiery swordswoman pointed an accusatory finger, "You must have tricked Hina-obaasama somehow!"_

_Keitaro, having given up trying to get the amorous freelancer and hyperactive foreigner off him, returned Motoko's hateful glare with a deadpan expression, "…you really think a guy like me could trick Hina-obaasama…THE Hina-obaasama, into doing ANYTHING she didn't want to? Because if you do, then you're an idiot."_

"_What was that, bastard!?"_

"_Trust me when I say this is the LAST thing I wanted to have happen outta nowhere," Keitaro grumbled, finally freeing himself of the two hugging him, much to their disappointment, "Haru… please tell me there's some way to get out of this?!"_

"_Sorry kiddo, but she put the seal at the bottom," Haruka took the letter and other papers from Motoko and pointed at the small Urashima clan symbol at the bottom, "since she slapped this thing on, this isn't really a request anymore; it's an order from the clan head."_

"…_I was afraid of that," Keitaro sighed, seemingly calm on the outside, but internally he was anything but calm. _'Dammit! She always picks the worst time to completely fuck me over!'

"_Inexcuseable! Hina-obaasama must be mistaken…" Motoko continued on in denial. Ignoring the kendo girl's plight, Haruka turned to the only person who had yet to speak their mind, "What do you think of all this, Naru? You've been pretty quiet so far…"_

_The lovely brunette jumped a bit in surprise at being addressed, having been previously deep in thought over the whole situation, "Oh! Uh…well…I can't say I'm really psyched at the idea…but," she cast a tentative look at Keitaro, who returned the look with a slight tilt of his head that she secretly found adorable, "well…if it's Keitaro-san, then I don't think we'll have a problem. Things'll be weird for a bit, but what's done is done, right?"_

"_Naru-sempai!" the Aoyama heir shot a betrayed look at the senior high-schooler, "You can't be serious!"_

"_Well, looks like you're outvoted, Motoko-chan!" Kitsune preened and slyly slid her arms around Keitaro's right arm, the man trying (and failing) to unlatch her. Furious, Motoko stomped back into the dorms, roughly bumping into Keitaro's shoulder in the process. The others simply looked on as she left, before turning to the new manager. Seeing their waiting looks, the Mononobe heir sighed, "Look, to be honest, I'm not really cool about this, and I'm definitely gonna try to find a loophole to this damn order. A guy shouldn't be managing a girls' dorm…that's just ASKING for it sometime down the road…"_

"_Awww, but Taro-chan~" Kitsune whined, still gripping the taller man's arm, "don't you like us? I thought we were gettin along just fine," for further emphasis, she pushed her chest against the wiry arm she held, squeezing it between her twin globes. It took everything the poor high school senior had to suppress the massive blush that threatened to spread across his face._

"_I-it's not that, dammit! Stop being such an ero-kitsune!" he exclaimed, pulling his arm free from the fleshy heaven known as Kitsune's chest, "Anyway…I'm gonna try to find a way outta this somewhow…maybe the old bat missed something that I can use to fix this stupid mess…"_

* * *

><p>"Heh…so much for that," Keitaro grumbled as he brought himself back to the present. He'd spent the past couple of days searching for something, <em>anything<em> that Hina may have missed that could give him the leverage to escape his new 'prison', but the old woman was clan head for a reason. Now, nearly a week later, the young swordsman had found absolutely nothing, and was beginning to lose hope.

"Dammit…maybe I missed something…she is NOT keeping me here forever…"

"Why would you wanna leave? These are some seriously nice new digs you got here."

Keitaro sat up in a hurry and flung a hidden kunai from within his sleeve at the source of the voice, his eyes narrowing and teeth grit together in thinly veiled loathing as he saw Kimiko Tachibana holding the kunai between her fingers, just scant millimeters from her face, "Really? That's how you say hello to an old friend? You really don't know how to treat a girl, do you Kyoshiro-kun?"

"Tachibana," Keitaro hissed, standing to his full height and falling into a ready stance, his hand hovering above the handle of his father's katana, "How the hell did you find me here?!"

"Tch…hello? Assassin? The Tachibana's PREMIER assassin?" the deadly red-head cast the swordsman a look as if to say 'are you seriously asking that?', "If you must know, I've been keeping tabs on you …who'd have thought you were still a high school student…"

Slowly rising to his feet and adjusting _Ginōkami_ on his belt, Keitaro narrowed his eyes at the 'black sheep' Tachibana, "Don' .me. I don't take that shit from Hina-obaasama when she tries to keep eyes on me, like hell am I gonna take it from you. Now what do you want?"

"Oooh, so feisty! I love that in a man," Kimiko giggled and sashayed to the wary Keitaro, his hands itching to draw his lethal blade, "I haven't seen you since your little adventure with Amagai and Mikamura, so I thought I'd say hi…" she stopped only scant centimeters away, taking a slender finger and tracing abject shapes on Keitaro's chest, "…and drop off some information that I think you'd like."

Fighting the urge to rip that teasing finger off and shove it down the redhead's throat, Keitaro backed away and looked into Kimiko's dark blue eyes with a suspicious glare, "Really? And what info is that?"

"The information on your next mark," reaching into her green kimono top, a sight that would cause a regular man to suffer a massive nosebleed, she pulled out a small envelop with a single name written on the back, "This man and his entire family will be coming to Hinata in the next couple of weeks. His kids are taking the entrance exams…ironically, the same exams as you and that brunette friend of yours."

Perking an eyebrow, Keitaro took the envelop and opened it, removing a few photos, family ledgers, and a map with several locations marked off, "Minato Tachibana…the Fifth Pillar, reputed for the largest sized family within the Tachibana clan. Occupation: weapons' manufacturer?" He looked back up at Kimiko, "I thought the Tachibana only delved in medical and ki research. Since when did you deal in weapons manufacturing?"

"Since the Mononobe were massacred and their company, Nagareboshi, fell into Urashima hands," Kimiko answered, turning away and preparing to leave, "Don't let it ruffle your feathers too much though, unlike Nagareboshi, Akasuisei is terrible at making weaponry. The emperor has to keep coming up with polite excuses as to why he only goes to Nagareboshi for business. It's pathetic."

The avenger snorted and pocketed the envelop in his gi, "Well…for what it's worth…thanks," he said grudgingly, never liking to show the woman any gratitude, but refusing to appear impolite to someone who'd done him a favor, "However, if I EVER catch you following me, or Naru, or ANY of the girls here…I **will** kill you."

The venom in his voice was enough for Kimiko to believe he was serious, "I'd really love to see you try…it could be fun," she said before vanishing in a burst of speed, a small puff of snow falling back to the ground in her wake. Shaking his head, Keitaro again adjusted his father's blade at his side and walked back into the warm confines of Hinata-sou.

* * *

><p>"Sempai didn't come down for dinner again today," Shinobu sighed sadly, picking up the now empty dishes from the bountiful feast she'd prepared for the residents. The girls had just finished eating and were going about their own business, with Suu patting her bloated stomach and saying a quick thank you before running to her room, and Kitsune casually leaning back in her chair, sipping a saucer of her favorite sake as she listened to the concerned bluenette, "Hmm…I thought Taro-chan'd be fine after a day or two, but he's been avoidin us for a week now…" a frown came to the older woman's face, "Maybe we weren't as welcoming as we thought?"<p>

"I don't see why any of you are complaining," Motoko said as she rose from the table, "That pervert has no business being here. I for one think his absence is perfectly timed. If he wishes to refrain from being among us, I have no objections."

"Sheesh, I know ya hate men and all, but damn girl, can't ya take it easy on him?" the fox-like woman had long since grown used to the animosity the young swordswoman displayed against the opposite gender, but this was the first time she'd seen that hostility so unmitigated before. Motoko turned to her older housemate with a hard look in her eyes, "I already told you all. He's dangerous…I can feel it in his ki. I don't know what he's done to taint it, but I can tell you it was nothing good."

Having said her piece, Motoko gracefully walked out of the dining room, leaving Kitsune, Naru, and Shinobu to ponder her words. The timid homemaker gripped the dish in her hands tightly, "S-Sempai would never hurt us…he helped me out that time and encouraged me. A b-bad person wouldn't do that, would he?"

Naru sighed and rose from her chair, walking over to the middle schooler and placing a gentle hand on the young girl's blue hair, "No, a bad person wouldn't. I do wonder what Keitaro's deal is though," suddenly, an idea popped into the lovely brunette's head, "Hey Shinobu, there's leftovers, right?"

"Uuuuum, I think so. Suu had more than her usual portions but I think there was still some food left," Shinobu answered, her reply putting a smile on Naru's face, "why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason."

* * *

><p>Sitting at the small table in the middle of his room, Keitaro went over his notes from school, trying to memorize as much as he could in preparation for the next exam. At the top of the table was the envelop given to him by Kimiko, and as he got closer to finishing his studies for the day, his eyes began glancing up at the little distraction more and more.<p>

'_It's still too early to start planning my next assault…but the info can definitely come in handy later…'_

Before he could continue, a soft knock came to his door, "Who's there?"

"It's me, knucklehead," the blunt reply from Naru caused Keitaro to snicker before getting up and opening the door, allowing the lovely brunette to enter. Absently, the swordsman noted the plate of leftovers in his friend's hands, "I thought you already had dinner?"

"I did, this is for you," Naru set the plate down on the table and glanced at the papers strewn over the top, "You were studying?"

"Yea, I was feeling a bit antsy today, so I figured I'd start a bit early," he answered, scratching the back of his head, "I didn't go over any of the stuff you wanted to go through, though. Waiting seemed like a better idea."

Naru gave him a small smile and playfully patted his cheek, "Aww, aren't you sweet," she grabbed a chair from against the wall and placed it under the hole in the ceiling that led to her room, "Lemme just grab my stuff and we'll get started."

"Sounds good to me," Keitaro answered before looking at the hole she was climbing through, "Uhhh…I know you said it's quicker than the stairs, but is it really safe to be climbing in an out through there? The edges look a bit jagged…"

"I've been doing this for a while," Naru answered as she finished getting through the opening and sat on her knees in her room, looking back down and waving dismissively at the curious man, "I know how to be careful, but if you're offering to fix the edges, go ahead."

The swordsman smirked wryly, "Yea, ok buddy."

Not long after, Naru returned to his room and the two began their nightly studies. About halfway through their session, the bespectacled brunette glanced up from her notes at her friend across the table, "Hey…are you ok?"

Keitaro quickly lifted his head up at the question, "Huh?"

"I asked are you ok?"

"Mhm…last I checked I was," the young man tilted his head in curiosity, "Why do you ask?"

Naru placed her pencil down and folded her arms on the table, her soft brown eyes locking onto Keitaro's, "I'm asking because for the past week you've been all…ghost-y on everyone. The others wanna know what your problem is."

Realizing what she meant, the swordsman closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "I wanted…I wanted to stay out of everyone's way. I didn't think being so visible around the place would help everyone adjust too well to the situation."

"Oh, and pretending you're invisible is gonna work wonders," Naru answered sardonically, making the man flinch, "Look, this is a huge change for all of us, and I'll admit a couple of us aren't really all that thrilled with what Granny Hina did."

"Like you and Motoko."

"Let me finish, you jerk!" Naru threw an empty mug at Keitaro's head, huffing in annoyance as he dodged the projectile, "Yea, me and Motoko-chan are having a bit of a hard time, but the others wanna try and make the best of this. And honestly, I…" she blushed a bit before continuing, "I like having you so close to study with and hang out and stuff."

Keitaro was a bit taken aback by her words, although he did his best not to show it on his face, "I-is that right?" he asked, cursing himself on the inside for the slight stutter. Naru, however, didn't seem to notice, "Well yea, I mean, anyone that gets to know you over time figures out you're actually a cool guy…and not as big a perv as the others."

"Oi! How many times do I gotta say I'm not a perv!" Keitaro defended, but Naru shot him a deadpan look, "Last Year. Halloween. Annual School Costume Dance. The Playboy Bunny costume Kitsune forced me into."

"…shutting up now," the swordsman hung his head, fighting the blush threating to spread across his face as he recalled the rather…_risqué_ costume the buxom prankster had tricked Naru into wearing…along with a particular incident he would never bring up lest he wished for death via Naru punch. Some of their classmates STILL had pictures of it.

"But that aside, you're a cool guy. I know that, Kitsune knows that, and you should give the other girls a chance to know that too. So stop being such an idiot and come down to dinner next time," Naru ordered, flicking the young man's forehead for good measure.

"Ow! Alright, alright, I'll go to dinner next time," Keitaro rubbed the spot on his forehead, a very slight smile on his face, "And I do apologize for being so distant…I never was that good with new people."

Naru raised an eyebrow at her friend's admission, "Really? You forget I was a 'new person' too a couple years ago. Look where we are now."

"You stole my favorite spot in the library to study and I didn't feel like hunting for another one. That's the only reason we even started talking," Keitaro replied flatly.

"But you DID start talking to me. You could've just sat there and studied and not said a thing to me," Naru countered, a smug grin on her face, "Actually, you're the one that said something first, Mr. 'I'm Terrible at Talking to Other People Because I'm a Jerk'."

Keitaro threw his hands in the air in surrender, "Okay, okay, ya got me dammit!" he sighed and dropped his head to the table, "Why are the women in my life so damn troublesome…"

The triumphant grin on Naru's face only made him drop his head to the table…repeatedly.

* * *

><p>Rain fell steadily from the overcast sky onto the ground below, melting some of the remnant snow that was still lying around. It did nothing to heat up the temperature, which was still frigid enough to warrant scarves and coats. It was the kind of weather that normally would've kept Naru indoors, if it weren't for the fact that she and Keitaro had cram school. As they walked home, the girl looked at her friend next to her, "Do you seriously wear that getup everywhere? How do you deal with all the weird looks?"<p>

Keitaro glanced down to reply, "I stopped noticing them after a while. Besides, the gi I'm wearing's ridiculously warm. No way I'm givin that up just to avoid a couple stares."

The brunette giggled and adjusted her umbrella, while Keitaro looked forward again and slowed down, "Oh god, not those two…"

"Huh?" Naru looked at him questioningly before shifting her gaze to the two guys walking a ways ahead of them: one tall and lanky, the other short and portly, both with glasses and dressed to combat the cold weather, " You know them, Keitaro-san?"

"In passing," he grumbled, shifting over to block Naru from their line of sight should they turn around, "Remember how you always claim all guys are pervs? Well, those two would prove your little mantra right within five seconds of meeting them."

The disapproving frown that came across her face couldn't have been a better indicator of Naru's mood shift, "Disgusting…seriously, guys should concentrate more on studying and getting themselves set in life…maybe AFTER that they might attract the right attention."

Looking a bit further down, Keitaro spotted three high school girls walking ahead of the lecherous duo, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the two begin to speed walk to catch up to the group of girls, "Well…looks like we're in for a show," at Naru's questioning look, he pointed ahead, "They're about to try their luck."

"Well, they picked the wrong girls to flirt with," Naru looked on with a mischievous smirk on her face, "Don't you recognize the one in the middle?"

Keitaro's eyes zoned in on the taller girl in the middle, but before he could see her face, the girl quickly closed her umbrella and swung at the two creepers, releasing a gale of wind that blasted both of them off their feet and down the road a couple meters away.

'…_that was definitely a ki attack…'_ Keitaro thought as he examined the attack in his mind. Looking back at the girls, he recognized the ki-user, "…Motoko-chan. I don't know why I'm surprised…"

Meaanwhile, Motoko walked over to the downed men, her umbrella gripped in her hand like a blade, "Despicable filth…hitting on high schoolers when you should be trying to better yourselves. Just like the rest of your kind."

"P-p-p-please d-d-don't hurt us!" the taller man shrieked from his spot on the ground. His rounder friend had been knocked out when they hit the ground, leaving him to bear the brunt of the swordswoman's rage alone. Motoko wasn't feeling all that merciful however, and raised her umbrella over her head to deliver the final blow.

"Maybe this will teach you some respect, _cretin_," she said before swinging down, but instead of the downed man's head, her improvised weapon was blocked by another umbrella, "What the-?"

"Now…I may not be an expert in Aoyama clan affairs and conduct, but I'm pretty sure _this_ isn't allowed," a calm, cool voice spoke from her side. Eyes quickly panning to her right, the swordswoman's glare deepened, "…Urashima-teme…"

Keitaro almost reeled back from the acid in her voice when she said his name, but kept a firm grip on the umbrella he used to spare the downed man from further unnecessary pain, "I think these guys got the message, Aoyama-san. Anymore and this could be considered assault. I doubt the heir to the Shinmei-ryuu needs that kinda drama."

For a moment, everyone watching held their breath, as the tension between Motoko and Keitaro began to rise, almost as if they were about to come to blows themselves. After another hair-raising few seconds, the dark-haired swordswoman finally stepped back, reopening her umbrella to shield herself from the rain, "Running to the defense of your fellow pigs…you don't surprise me in the slightest, bastard."

Before he could get a word out, Motoko rudely brushed past him and continued her walk to the dorm. Sighing to himself, Keitaro turned to the other two girls who'd been present, "Oh, Shinobu-chan, Suu-chan. Didn't notice you there. Are you two ok?"

The middle-schoolers had been silent as the grave during the entire altercation, but now that it was over, Suu returned to her bubbly self, "We're good Keitaro! I thought you and Motoko were gonna start fighting!"

Shinobu shivered, remembering the look on Motoko's face as she glared at her beloved sempai, "Y-you two don't seem to g-get along too well. B-but I-I'm glad nothing happened."

"Well we can't just break out into a fight on the street, we'd get into trouble," Keitaro laughed, placing a gentle hand on each girl's shoulder, "But don't worry. I'd never get into an altercation like that unless I had no other choice, and Motoko only did what she did to protect you…although she could've been a little less intense," he said the last part under his breath as he glanced wryly at the two perverts still lying on the ground, "Oi! Haitani! Shirai! Beat it unless you want me to get that girl back here."

The second he finished speaking, the two goofs identified as Haitani and Shirai rushed to their feet and ran away as if the Shinigami itself was on their backs. Shaking his head, the Mononobe heir turned and began walking back to the dorm, "C'mon girls, don't wanna stay out here and catch a cold or something."

"C-coming Sempai/Okie dokies!/Yea, yea."

* * *

><p>"So you stopped Motoko from murderin a couple pervs, huh? Should I start callin ya <em>Eiyu-chan<em> now?" Kitsune teased as she took another sip from her saucer. The buxom prankster had decided to crash Keitaro and Naru's study session, and walked in while the two Tokyo-U aspirants had been discussing what had happened scant hours ago.

"You have more than enough nicknames for me, Oni-Kitsune," Keitaro deadpanned as he continued reading his reference manual for the entrance exams, "Still…that was the first time I've seen such…well…violence from her. Was she always like this?" he asked the two across from him.

Kitsune rubbed her chin, "Hmm…well, she always did strike me as kinda stiff…and a prude…and always tellin me not ta drink in front of the kids…seriously," Naru and Keitaro blanched as the freelancer continued to list all the things the rigid kendo girl told her not to do. Ignoring the rest of her rant, the bespectacled brunette turned to finish answering Keitaro's question, "Well, remember when I told you she was sent here cuz her parents thought she needed to grow more as a person? Maybe it was so she could lighten up a bit?"

"It's gonna take a miracle to get her to lighten up," the swordsman sighed and closed his book, unable to focus any further, "I'm gonna go train for a bit. You can keep going if you want Naru-san, I'll catch up later."

"Oh…uh, ok then," Naru replied hesitantly, awkwardly waving goodbye as the man dropped down the hole in her floor to his room, "Hmm…"

"Penny for ya thoughts, Naru?" Kitsune asked, looking over at her friend with a mischievous glint in her squinted eyes, "Missin your beloved Taro-chan already?"

The lovely brunette blushed angrily, "Shut up! It's not like that!" she quickly frowned as she looked over at the hole, "I donno why, but I just get a weird feeling…"

"Jealous?"

"NO!" she silenced her friend with her shout, "Ugh, whatever, it's probably nothing."

* * *

><p>After grabbing <em>Ginōkami<em> from his room, Keitaro began heading up the stairs to the deck, when he paused at the sound of something swishing in the air.

'_Someone's up here?'_ he thought to himself as he slowly ascended the stair case. As he reached the roof, his eyes spotted Motoko slashing the falling leaves, neatly cutting them in two with a single strike. Marveling at her skill, the Mononobe heir stealthily jumped to the top of the rail and crouched in place to watch.

'_Well…attitude aside, she's gotten really good with her technique over the years. I kinda wish I'd been there to see her improve.'_

Unfortunately, the young man wasn't as quiet as he thought, as Motoko whirled around quickly and threw a knife in his direction, "Intruder!"

"The hell?!" he partially unsheathed his katana, using the blade to deflect the knife harmlessly, "Sheesh, you scare easy. Guess you haven't learned to read auras yet, huh?"

"Urashima-teme," Motoko growled as she recognized the man, unconsciously filing away how the man blocked her knife, "Saving perverted dogs and now spying on me? Your shamelessness knows no bounds."

"Gee, could you pour anymore venom on that?" Keitaro quipped as he got off the railing and stood on the deck across from the dark-haired girl, "I wasn't spying, I was coming out here to train, and then I noticed you cutting up the leaves. You're pretty good."

Motoko sneered, "I don't need your compliments or acknowledgement of my skill, bastard. Don't confuse me with the other residents, I DON'T want you here."

"Trust me, you've made that perfectly clear," Keitaro replied with a stony voice, feeling the familiar pain in his chest at seeing the hateful girl his once beloved friend had grown into, "In all honesty though, this hatred of me is a bit unfair…and stupid. You don't even know me."

"I don't need to get to know you in order to realize what kind of foul pig you are," the scathing reply made Keitaro's eyes narrow, his patience being tested a bit, "Your ki says enough about you to give me an adequate impression. You're dangerous, and shouldn't be anywhere near Hinata-sou."

She shouldered her blade and used her thumb to unsheathe part of it in warning, "If you try anything here against the residents of the Hinata-sou, I'll kick you out myself."

Keitaro's indifferent stare hardened at the threat, his own hands itching to grab his sword as he watched Motoko turn to walk away, but before she could get far, a rustling in the trees grabbed their attention.

"Oi, Motoko! Landlord!" the two looked at the tree branch next to them, the voice having come from that direction. Suddenly, Suu popped out upside-down, "Dinner's Ready! Let's eat!"

"Gya!" Taken by surprise, Motoko's foot slipped and she began to fall backwards. Bracing herself for the pain to come, the kendo girl was surprised when, instead of the hard ground, a single, sturdy arm held her in place. Looking up, she saw Keitaro glancing down at her in mild concern.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, noticing at the back of his mind how light the girl in his arm was despite barely being shorter than him. Motoko was about to reply, when a sudden memory flashed in her mind.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey! Sempai! Watch this!" a young, dark-haired girl called excitedly across the dojo floor to an older boy who'd been talking with who appeared to be the girl's older sister. The boy's gaze shifted over to the one that called out to him and he replied with a small smile, "Ok then, show me what ya got, Mo-chan!<em>

_The girl grinned before taking a stance, pointing her bokken out ahead of her as if preparing to stab something, before dashing forward in a burst of speed. The boy, realizing he was the target, moved away from his other company and drew his own bokken to block. As the girl thrust her makeshift sword out to strike, the long-haired boy countered by smacking her bokken up. Unfortunately, she'd been moving too fast, and ran face-first into his arm, "Oww!"_

"_Oi, careful!" the boy reached out and placed an arm on her back to keep her from falling. The dark-haired girl looked up and nearly lost herself in the boy's brown eyes, his long black hair framing his face perfectly. The boy laughed as he noticed the slightly bewildered look on his friend's face, "Stop bein such a rookie, Mo-chan, you're better than that."_

_The girl blushed, but returned the boy's smile with one of her own, "Y-yes, I'll watch out next time…Kyoshiro-sempai."_

* * *

><p>As the memory began to fade, the face of her deceased sempai superimposed itself onto the face of her new manager. Despite the differences in hair length and color, they were almost an exact match. Regaining her senses, Motoko realized that Keitaro was holding her in the same exact position Kyoshiro did to keep her from falling that day in the dojo.<p>

"Uh…you ok? Earth to Aoyama-san!" Keitaro asked, concerned at how unresponsive the fierce kendo girl was in his arm. Suddenly, her eyes shifted back into focus, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks like twin rivers. Before the manager could ask what the problem was, Motoko shoved him off and ran back into the dorm, trying desperately to regain her composure while her heart was reintroduced to a pain she thought long since buried.

"What's wrong with Motoko?" Suu asked baffled at the scene that just occurred. Keitaro could only shake his head as he tried to make sense of what just happened. For some reason, seeing her look so anguished, so _broken_ for that instant, made his chest hurt.

"I have no idea Suu…I have absolutely no idea…"

* * *

><p>Dinner that night was a spirited affair, with Keitaro finally acquiescing to the girls' request to join them at the table. Even the normally timid Shinobu was literally floating on cloud nine at the sight of her sempai trying out her cooking.<p>

"S-so how is it, sempai?" she asked shyly, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she anxiously watched the landlord begin eating. Keitaro finished chewing and swallowed before turning to face the bluenette, "Shinobu…you are definitely getting paid for this from now on. This has got to be, hands down, the BEST cooking I've ever tasted…PERIOD."

Shinobu's initially mild blush grew several shades darker from the compliment, "I-I-I'm glad you like it, s-sempai, b-but you don't have to p-pay me for it. I like cooking for everyone."

"Nope, you don't get a say. I'll have the paperwork drawn up after dinner," Keitaro grinned, refusing to let the cook get off that easily, "If anything, I'll adjust your rent as compensation. With culinary talent like that, I'd be an idiot not to thank you somehow."

"Dontcha think she'll make a perfect lil housewife down the road, Taro-chan?" Kitsune giggled from her place across from him, another sake saucer held daintily in her hand. At this point, one could almost swear steam was coming out of the young homemaker's ears, "Auuuuu, I-I'm n-not all t-that great…"

Chuckling at the bluenette, Keitaro absently reached across the table for a bottle of soy sauce, when his hand came into unexpected contact with another's. Pausing, he looked down and saw the dainty appendage and slowly followed it back to the source…and promptly cursed in his mind.

'…_aww crap…'_

Motoko blushed furiously at the contact before grabbing the sauce and pulling her hand away as if she'd been burned, "D-don't touch me, you bastard!"

"Uhh….sorry?" the swordsman apologized awkwardly, noticing the slight pain in her eyes before she looked away. He filed it away as he observed the tall girl placing more than the usual amount of soy sauce on her food, almost covering it in black liquid entirely. Naru apparently noticed as well, "…correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a little TOO much sauce, Motoko-chan?"

"Eh?" Motoko blushed as she looked down into her plate, before shoveling as much of it as she could down her throat and standing up abruptly, "T-Thank you for the meal!"

Before anyone could get another word out, she ran out of the dining room. Suu laughed at her hurried departure, "Wow, Motoko's really really fast!"

"You said it," Keitaro's eyes narrowed in the direction she'd left in. Noticing this, Naru bumped him on the shoulder, "Hey, everything ok with you two? She's been acting a lot more awkward around you today than normal."

The swordsman turned to face the lovely brunette and replied, "You're asking the wrong guy…I have no idea what her deal is," he scratched his chin in thought, recalling the agonized look on the Shinmei-ryuu heir's face when he caught her earlier that day.

'_What the hell happened that hurt you so much, Mo-chan?'_

* * *

><p>The next day went no better in regards to the interaction between Keitaro and Motoko, as the girl did everything in her power to avoid him at all costs. It even got to the point that the kendo practitioner left school early that cold afternoon, leaving Keitaro and Naru to pick up Suu and Shinobu before heading home.<p>

"Ok…I think this is getting a bit outta hand," Keitaro grumbled as he tried to remain oblivious to Suu's attempts to climb all over him like a tree. She'd been at it for the past ten minutes, but his restraint had proven ironclad, much to the surprise of the other two girls. At his sudden outburst, Naru glanced over at her rather taciturn friend, "What, Suu finally getting to you?"

Keitaro shook his head, "No, this I actually don't mind so much. It's Motoko. She doesn't strike me as the type to forget to pick up the girls from school," he turned to Shinobu, "Has this ever happened before?"

"N-not that I can remember," the timid girl replied, a sad frown on her adorable face, "She always met us at the entrance…told us to stay away from b-boys and wait by the gate."

"That's what I figured," Keitaro sighed and tilted his head to look at the foreigner on his back, who was currently playing with his brown, spiky locks, "Hey Suu, you hang around Motoko more than the others, right? Notice anything strange about her today?"

The blonde-haired girl stopped her activity for a moment and childishly scrunched up her face as she thought, "Hmmm…Motoko was movin really fast to leave this morning, more than Suu usually sees her. And I think she had a bad dream last night? She woke up with tears in her eyes!"

"Crying? Motoko?" Naru asked, shocked at the development, "That sounds a little farfetched…she's always so…balanced. I didn't think she _could _cry…"

"I hope she's ok," Shinobu said concernedly, "Sempai, d-do you think there's anything we can do for her?"

The landlord sighed and looked to the afternoon sky above, "Other than be there for her, I don't know. Whatever she's working through, it seems to be internal, so she'll have to figure it out on her own."

* * *

><p>Back at Hinata-sou, Motoko sat in meditation on the rooftops, her clothes slightly damp with sweat. After rushing out of school at the thought of seeing Keitaro on her way home, she'd thrown herself into her training. Despite her peaceful appearance on the outside, inside her mind and heart were in turmoil.<p>

'_I thought…that I was past all of this,'_ she thought as she once again fought against the ache in her bosom, _'Why…why are the dreams coming back now of all times? Is it because of __**him**__?'_

The Shinmei-ryuu heir shook her head as an image of the landlord popped into her mind, once again being superimposed over the face of her dearly departed sempai. Unable to bear the blasphemous thoughts any longer, she stood up quickly and began practicing her katas again.

'_Why does he remind me of Kyoshiro-sempai? That bastard's nothing like him!'_ her furious thoughts fueled her body as she pushed harder with her strikes, pretending it was Keitaro she was battling against…or beating down mercilessly.

Minutes later, she stopped, sweat running down her forehead and face in rivulets, soaking her already dampened clothes. She shivered as the brisk winter wind blew over her, but paid it no more mind, settling for walking to the railing and looking up at the sunset in the sky.

'…_Kyoshiro-sempai…' _ Motoko's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she recalled the dream she'd had the night before. It was more a memory than a dream, one that she'd tried to bury for several years.

The memory of the day her world changed forever.

* * *

><p><em>An eleven-year old Motoko rubbed her tired eyes and looked up at her sister in confusion. For reasons she had yet to be told, Tsuruko had dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night, rushed her into her clothes and pulled her along as they headed to the entrance of their compound. <em>

"_Ane-ue," the young girl yawned, "W-what's going on? Where are we going?"_

"…_I'll tell you when we arrive, Motoko," Tsuruko's answer was clipped, and something about her tone brought Motoko out of slumber-induced haze. The Shinmei-ryuu heiress had always referred to her little sister as either 'Motoko-han' or 'Imouto-chan'. NEVER by her first name alone._

_With millions of questions bouncing around in her head, Motoko decided to remain silent as she and her sister entered the town car that had been sent to them. Less than an hour later, she found herself looking up at the Urashima compound. Right at the entrance, she noticed several people huddled together, some openly crying, others shaking their fists with their faces twisted into expressions of rage and sadness that the young girl never thought possible for a human face. _

"_We're here," Tsuruko's voice sounded haunted, and Motoko could feel small tendrils of fear beginning to take hold in her stomach. Suddenly becoming far more aware of her surroundings, the eleven-year old allowed her sister to take her hand and gently pull her along through the large compound. Absently, Motoko realized they were heading in the direction of Hina's office. When they arrived, the first thing the sisters noticed was the pall of anguish that had befallen the room, the source of which could be traced to the old woman seated in the large plush chair behind a worn-looking oak desk. Though her features were schooled into an emotionless expression, Motoko didn't need her budding ki-sensing abilities to know that Hina Urashima was in pain…soul-shattering pain._

"_Tsuruko-chan…and you brought Motoko-chan as well," Hina began, her voice just as haunted as Tsuruko's had been earlier, "I'm sorry for summoning you so late in the night. I trust you received my message?"_

"_I did," Tsuruko's voice barely shook from the powerful emotions flowing through her at that moment, but the small hitch did not go unnoticed by her younger sister, "…I demand proof. There's no way…not all of them…"_

_Motoko looked between the two confusedly, although she could already tell something horrible must have occurred recently. Hina's melancholy sigh brought her attention back to the old woman, who was holding a bundle in her hands. In the dimmed light of the room, the young girl could vaguely make out stains on the cloth, along with a faint iron smell emanating from the material._

"_Here…this should be all the proof you'll need," Hina held out the bundle, her frail arms shaking, not from the physical weight of the bundle, but what the bundle itself represented. Fighting the urge in her arms to shiver as well, Tsuruko took the bundle and un-wrapped it, facing away from the curious Motoko. Upon peering at the contents, the seemingly unshakable woman then did something that Motoko would swear on her life and the lives of every member of the Shinmei-ryuu could never happen in a thousand lifetimes._

_Tsuruko Aoyama, the head of the Shinmei-ryuu, the undefeated prodigy, fell to her knees and wept._

"_Ane-ue!" the younger sister quickly went to her sister's side and embraced her, doing the only thing she could think of to help her horribly distressed sister, "What's wrong? Please! What has happened?!"_

_Tsuruko looked up at her sister, and upon seeing her worried, but still innocent gaze, cursed every deity known to civilization for what she would have to do._

"…_Motoko-han…my sweet, precious Motoko-han," the older sister said as she returned her sister's embrace, "…something dreadful has happened…and I don't know how to tell you this…but…"_

"_What, Ane-ue?" Tsuruko almost began to weep again at her sister's question, but shoved the urge away and forced herself to say those terrible words._

"…_The Mononobe clan…is no more."_

_For a moment, the world seemed to come to a halt as Motoko took in those words. She was no stranger to death, having lost relatives before due to demon-hunts gone bad and freak accidents. Their grandparents had died earlier that year, a loss that still hurt the young girl to this day. But this…was on a vastly different plateau._

"…_what do you mean…Ane-ue…the Mononobe," an image of a young boy with black hair and warm brown eyes flashed in her head, "…Kyoshiro-sempai…there's no way someone could…could…"_

"_Show her, Tsuruko," Hina commanded in a voice that brokered no argument. Nodding, Tsuruko held her arms out to her sister, presenting the moist bundle to her. Now that she was up close, Motoko could easily identify the odor she'd smelled from afar._

_Blood.  
><em>

_Fearfully reaching out, she peeled back the damp cloth just enough to reveal the items within, and as she recognized the items, Motoko felt a part of the little girl she was die a horrible death._

_Wrapped in the cloth was a bloodied comb, and the fragments of a familiar blade._

_Saya's comb._

_Kyoshiro's blade._

_Motoko didn't realize when the tears began streaming from her face. She didn't realize when she fell to her knees and began shaking uncontrollably, only for Tsuruko to reach out and hold her close as the truth settled in. All she knew was that she felt very far away, and from a distance, she could hear what sounded like a loud, soul-searing scream of anguish._

_Motoko never realized that the scream she heard…was her own._

* * *

><p>An older Motoko shivered as she remembered the final vestiges of her nightmarish memory. Even after four long years, the wound in her heart at the deaths of her beloved sempai and his family still ran horribly deep. After the funeral, she'd had nightmares of evil men coming in the night, butchering the Mononobe and commiting grave atrocities to the overwhelmed samurai. It would always end the same way, with Kyoshiro being brutally murdered before she could do something, <em>anything<em> to save him.

"Kyoshiro-sempai," she whispered, hugging her arms to herself as she fought back another round of tears. It seemed that even after all this time, she still had not cried enough over that horrific loss in her life. She then recalled her current situation, how her new landlord reminded her of the late Mononobe heir for a moment.

"…they're nothing alike…he's scum and a bastard who'd take advantage of us at his earliest convenience," the swordswoman seethed, gritting her teeth to hold in her anger, "He's nothing like Kyoshiro-sempai!"

Her dark thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the other tenants and the resident landlord arriving back from school. Knowing that Suu would immediately rush up to her room, Motoko grabbed her traditional clothes and headed for the laundry room to change. Surely, the hyperactive girl wouldn't think to look for her there.

* * *

><p>"Motoko~! Come play with Suu!" the blonde foreigner shouted as she threw off her shoes and bounded off into the dorm in search of her regular playmate. Keitaro stretched his back and began rotating his shoulders in relief, "Thank god that's over…she's got a stronger grip than my little sister."<p>

Naru looked at him sideways, "Oh? Your sister likes to climb on top of you too?" she asked with a playful smirk, "Should I be worried you'll take advantage of Suu?"

"Don't even joke like that," the landlord replied flatly, "besides, you're scaring Shinobu."

Looking over at the middle-schooler, Naru noticed the girl shivering, her face covered in an atomic-red blush, "Oh…sorry Shinobu! I was just kidding!"

Unfortunately, the older teens were completely wrong about the reason the bluenette was shivering. Many a vivid thought of the non-PG13 kind were floating in her head, starring her rambunctious friend and her (for now) secret crush.

'_S-S-Sempai…a-a-and S-S-Suu…t-t-taking advantage….Auuuuu!'_

"Hey, you ok Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro asked concernedly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. The intimate contact brought the girl out of her R-rated musings, but upon seeing the handsome face of her sempai so close, her mind went on overload and forced her to respond in the only way she could.

With a dead faint.

"Holy crap! Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro exclaimed, never having seen the timid girl faint before. Naru knelt down next to her and carefully laid the unconscious girl on the ground, "Oh boy…it's been a while since this happened."

"What do you mean?! What happened just now?!" the panicked landlord asked, trying and failing to keep his cool. The brunette next to him almost laughed at how out of character her friend was acting, but was also touched by his concern, "Calm down, knucklehead. She just fainted, that's all. It happens whenever she gets really embarrassed or nervous about something," she placed a hand under her chin in thought, "But I have no idea what could've triggered it this time."

Had he been in a clearer state of mind, Keitaro would have called her out as the cause, but in his fearful state, the moment went over his head, "Is there anything I can do to help her?"

"All she needs is a warm towel and a soft place to sleep it off," the bespectacled genius answered, lifting Shinobu in her arms and carrying the small girl to the sofa in the lobby, "I think the towels were in the dryer in the laundry room. Get one from there while I get a bucket of warm water from the kitchen."

Keitaro nodded and bounded for the laundry room, nearly scaring Kitsune when he dashed around her in a blur.

"Well goodness! What's got him in such a hurry?" she asked herself, before shrugging it off as something she could 'interrogate' him about later and heading to the kitchen. Meanwhile, the landlord reached the laundry room and hastily opened the door, diving for the drying machine and pulling out a small towel.

"This should do," he said, but before he could head out, a gasp of surprise caught his attention. Looking to his left, he finally noticed he wasn't alone in the laundry room. _'…Oh…crap…'_

Barely a foot away, Motoko had been in the process of wrapping her chest within her regular bindings, her hakama still on top of the washing machine, leaving her in just a pair of white panties to protect her modesty. Keitaro's eyes widened minutely when he noticed the girl's modest bosom, a single band of the wrappings struggling to restrain the two hardened nubs atop her breasts in the chilly room.

"…Uhh…" the stupefied landlord could barely come up with anything to remedy the situation, and was left to say the first thing that came to his mind, "…why are you changing in the laundry room?"

* * *

><p>'<em>Well I'd be lying if I said I didn't think this'd be happening sometime soon,'<em> Keitaro thought to himself as he watched the infuriated woman across from him with a blank stare. He was currently standing on an islet in the middle of a small lake behind the main property of the dorm. Across from him, an enraged Motoko stood with a bokken on her shoulder. If looks could kill, the Mononobe heir was pretty sure he'd have died a thousand horrible deaths already.

Back on the main shore, the rest of the Hinata-sou residents sat on a makeshift bench, with Suu cheering for the both of them, "Go Motoko! Go Keitaro! Kick butt!"

"So…tell me how this happened again," Kitsune asked Naru next to her. The long-haired girl sighed and shook her head, "I told Keitaro-san to go grab a towel from the laundry room…he was in a rush and didn't know Motoko-chan was changing in there," a deadpan expression came over her face, "Why she'd be changing in there when there's a guy living with us now, I have no idea."

"P-please be careful!" Shinobu called out worriedly. She had seen Motoko train before, but she was unaware of Keitaro's ability with a sword. She hadn't seen the carnage he'd left in his wake after destroying all of Suu's robots the day he'd arrived.

Meanwhile, Motoko narrowed her eyes and pointed her bokken at the bewildered landlord, "Urashima-teme….I've suffered your foul presence among us long enough! I challenge you!"

"…you brought me out here **before **issuing a challenge?" Keitaro asked with a deadpan voice, "I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes-"

"Silence!" the enraged girl interrupted, completely ignoring the older boy's words, "These are my terms! If you win this duel, I will forget all of your past sins and transgressions!"

'…_I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything worth calling a sin so far…'_ Keitaro thought wryly as he heard the rest of the terms, "Ok then…and if you win?"

Motoko shot him a dark smirk, "If I win, you have to relinquish your position as landlord and vacate the premises immediately."

The Mononobe heir paused for a moment as he thought the terms over. While it didn't appear as such to the maddened girl, Motoko had just given Keitaro the perfect out to his grandmother's decree.

'_Let's run this back real quick…win and I stay here, under Granny's thumb, with almost no way to complete my Tenchuu without getting caught…lose, and I get to go home, and make some damn progress while Hina-obaasama's running around trying to fix things with Motoko.'_

The latter option was tempting…REALLY tempting. He could finally be free of the danger of his murderous acts against the instigators of his family's massacre being discovered by the wrong people, and also keep the girls out of danger if and when the day came that his identity was compromised. Even he knew he couldn't keep his secret forever.

Nevertheless, all of this was halted by a single, seemingly insignificant recollection: in all the times he had sparred with Motoko when they were kids, not _once _had the girl even come close to beating him.

And his pride wouldn't let him take a fall now. Not when he was a little curious about her progress.

"Fine, I agree to your terms," Keitaro replied, his voice losing all semblance of playfulness, and becoming all business, "I've been curious to see just how strong you are for a while now…this is the perfect chance to find out."

The residents were caught off guard by the sudden shift in their landlord. Naru, being the closest to him among them, stared in surprise at the nearly-unrecognizable Keitaro. _'It's like…he went from a student to some battle-hardened soldier or something,'_ she thought as she continued to look on at the impending duel, _'…Keitaro-san…who the hell __**are **__you?'_

Motoko was also surprised by the sudden shift, but was able to hide it better and steel herself for the match. She gave a small glance over to the seated residents, "Kitsune-san. Please act as officiator of this duel. It ends when one of us either acknowledges defeat, or is rendered incapable of continuing for whatever reason."

"Huh…I guess I could do that," Kitsune slowly rose from her seat and walked to the water's edge. Lifting a hand high into the air, she called out, "Are y'all ready to get started?!"

"Hai!/Hai!" came the simultaneous reply from the combatants, with Keitaro removing the bokken at his side and holding it in a ready position, Motoko mirroring his action.

Time slowed to a crawl, and the seated audience watched with baited breath as Kitsune held her arm up for only a second more before quickly bringing it down, "Hajime!"

No sooner had the words left the resident fox's lips, Motoko surged forward like a cannonball, her bokken poised to take off Keitaro's head. With a mighty swing, the swordswoman slashed towards the man's temple, aiming for a quick knockout.

'_Hah! Take that fool! This duel is already-'_

Her victorious thoughts were interrupted when she felt her bokken smash against something solid and unyielding, not at all like what she envisioned a successful strike against someone's head would feel like. Tracing her eyes along her blade, Motoko was shocked to see Keitaro's bokken interposed perfectly between her own bokken and his head. Her surprise grew when she noticed the landlord had barely moved from his spot, despite the strength she'd put into her initial blow.

"Huh…not bad. Decent amount of power for such thin-looking arms," Keitaro mused out loud, oblivious to the outright shocked stares he was receiving from the audience, "Looks like this'll be fun after all."

Motoko scoffed and quickly withdrew her blade, only to unload on the Mononobe heir with a series of slashes. Despite her best efforts, however, each strike was either dodged with minimal movement on the boy's part, or parried off to the side. As she went in for a diagonal upwards slash to the man's torso, Keitaro countered with a hard block, the strength of the blow nearly knocking Motoko's bokken from her hands.

'_What…what power…'_ she thought as tightened the grip on her wooden katana and withdrew a few paces back. That blow had left her wide open for retaliation, but for some reason, Keitaro had not capitalized. _'…I can't believe he's actually this skilled…'_

On the mainland, the four residents were completely astounded at the spectacle before them. Not even five minutes into the duel, and already they had seen Keitaro do more than they ever thought possible of him.

"…Naru…did you have ANY idea he could do this?!" Kitsune asked after a lengthy silence, her eyes opened for the first time, revealing them to be a lovely shade of brown. Next to her, Naru stared in equal parts of awe and disbelief, "No…I had no idea…" she replied airily. Shinobu and Suu were so gobsmacked themselves that neither could utter a word.

Back on the field, Motoko reassessed the situation, _'It was a mistake to underestimate him. Nevertheless…I refuse to believe he's my equal!'_ With that in mind, she charged in again, only to be met halfway by a similar charge from her opponent, _'He's gone on the attack?!'_

Keitaro lunged in with a stab to the chest that grazed the Shinmei-ryuu heir's gi. Fortunately for Motoko, she saw the strike coming, and was able to shift to the right and let the blow go by. She was caught off guard, however, by how quickly Keitaro pivoted on his lead foot and came back around with a slash to her midsection. Turning her wrist down, Motoko blocked the strike, only to be sent flying back a couple meters by the force. The landlord refused to give her time to breath, and met her with a flurry of quick slashes, prompting her to counter in kind. For what seemed like an eternity, the two engaged in a dazzling show of slashes and parries, each strike echoing through the forest like claps of thunder in the heavens. The sound of the blows brought Suu out of her dazed stupor and she promptly began cheering with all her heart.

"GO GO GO! GO KEITARO! GO MOTOKO! FIGHT, FIGHT FIGHT!"

Shinobu as well was shocked out of her stunned state and she too found herself cheering, "G-go sempai!"

"This is heatin up! I think I found mah new favorite entertainment!" Kitsune waved a set of tickets she'd brought out of nowhere into the air wildly, "Go get her, Taro-chan!"

Only Naru remained silent, as she continued to gaze at her friend as though seeing him for the first time. On the inside, her mind was a jumble of thoughts and questions, _'Is this who you really are, Keitaro-san? I guess I really never knew a thing about you, huh? Why didn't you tell me you knew how to kick ass like this?!'_

Motoko as well was growing more and more frustrated as the exchange continued, finding almost no holes in the landlord's defenses, _'It's as if he's the perfect storm…unyielding…monstrous…very well, I'll just have to shock him myself.'_

Nodding to herself, she countered another of Keitaro's slashes with a hard-block of her own, throwing his arms up and opening a small hole in his defense. Using the chance, the swordswoman gathered her ki and unleashed her attack, "**Zanganken (Rock-Splitting Sword)!**"

The attack came crashing down on a seemingly helpless Keitaro, tossing up a large cloud of dust as it struck. Motoko smirked at the results of her attack, "Hmph…that should teach you to know your place. This duel is over."

The girls on the mainland looked on worriedly as the cloud of debris impeded their view of the landlord. Shinobu started tearing as she thought of how injured her sempai may have been from that sneak attack, "I-Is he ok? S-someone should go check!"

"I don't think he's getting up from that one," Kitsune scratched the back of her head, "That's Motoko-chan's signature move. Not a lotta people walk away from that one all hunky dory."

"You girls don't know Keitaro then," the four jumped in surprise as Haruka appeared standing beside them, her usual cigarette hanging unlit from her lips, "Nah…that boy's just gettin started."

The tea shop owner's words proved true, as the cloud cleared and the girls, along with Motoko, were treated to the sight of a completely unscathed Keitaro, his bokken held out in front. A faint orange haze could be seen a small distance from the point of the wooden sword, covering the landlord's front. Opening his eyes, he let out a sigh and leveled a pointed glare at his confounded opponent, "**Terukaeshi(Glare)**. I haven't mastered it yet, but thank god I started learning it or that might've hurt a bit."

"…You can use ki-based techniques as well…" a stupefied Motoko whispered, before growling and summoning her ki for another attack, "It won't save you, bastard! **Raimeiken (Thunderclap Sword)!**"

Lightning energy formed around the blade of her bokken, the air around it crackling and sizzling as blue electricity lanced out wildly. Wasting no time, Motoko dashed forward, leaving a blue streak of energy in her wake. Seeing her attack, Keitaro held his bokken behind him and gathered his own ki, "Oh, so it's gonna be that kinda duel, huh? Ok then, I'll raise you one ki-technique with another…**Hinode (Daybreak)**."

To the jaw-dropping surprise of the audience, including Haruka, the landlord rushed forward and brought his attack up to meet Motoko's. The two bokkens crashed against each other with the sound of a tsunami breaking onto the shore, the near gale-force winds released from the contact point blowing away leaves, dust, and everything not secured to the ground away for several meters. The girls held onto the fallen tree trunk they were sitting on for dear life as they were tossed around by the fierce air currents.

"Somebody please tell me they're recordin this!" Kitsune bellowed over the loud noise, her voice barely carrying over to anyone. Naru, however, was able to hear and promptly turned to face her wildly laughing friend, "Are you serious right now?! We're about to get blown back to the dorms, and THAT'S what you're thinking about?!"

"Weeeeeeeee!" Suu cried out, the girl actually enjoying being blown about like a kite in a windstorm.

Shinobu screamed as her grip gave way, but before she could be propelled back into the trees behind her, Haruka reached out and grabbed her arm, slowly pulling her back until she could hold the small girl to her chest, "Gotcha Shinobu. Can't have ya flyin off before the best part, right?"

"R-r-right, thank you, Haruka-san," Shinobu answered shakily, her body shivering as she resumed watching the match with fear and awe of her sempai, "H-he's so s-strong…"

"Ehh…he's ok. But I think this duel's gonna end soon." The rest of the girls turned back to the fight after barely hearing Haruka's words, soon realizing the winds had died down a bit. Back on the island, Keitaro's attack seemed to be slightly giving way to Motoko's own strike.

"Aww man, and here I thought Taro-chan had this in the bag," Kitsune huffed in disappointment, but Haruka's chuckling made her curious, "And what's so funny, Haru-san?"

Haruka took a moment to regain her composure, "What's funny is you think that Motoko's winning. That's just hilarious," the lovely tea shop owner stared out at her cousin/nephew with a small smirk on her face, "To be honest, Keitaro's just getting bored. He's about to finish this."

With the two combatants, Motoko smirked at her emotionless-looking opponent, "Well…it looks like in the end, your power just wasn't enough to topple me. You've been a better opponent than I thought possible, but this duel is over, Urashima-teme!"

"I guess it is," Keitaro answered, but the tone in his voice wasn't one of defeat, but that of a person who'd found out what he wanted to learn, and was growing bored, "You have strength…speed…and a good basic library of ki-based attacks. If it weren't for the lack of experience, and my own vast ki reserves, you'd definitely be at a better advantage here."

Motoko narrowed her eyes, "You sound as if you're winning this battle, yet it's your attack that's slowly failing against mine," she pushed her bokken forward a bit more, the lightning energy eagerly fighting the orange ki of Keitaro's attack, "I think you're mistaken."

"No…you're the one that's not gettin it," Keitaro replied, before momentarily increasing the flow of ki to his attack just a bit…only a 'bit' to him was like a large lake to Motoko, whose **Raimeiken **was effortlessly canceled out. Her eyes widened in absolute shock as her strongest move was destroyed in an instant, while Keitaro continued, "You may have the skills, you may have the brains, but you're still lacking. You've never fought anyone for real before…you've never drawn blood before…"

The landlord paused, his eyes gaining a hard look to them that sent a shiver of fear down Motoko's spine, fear that grew with his next words, "…you've never attacked with the intent to kill before."

"Is that right…and you have?" she challenged.

"…when you've lived a life like mine, you learn quickly that the world's a cruel place, and life is more fragile than glass," the haunted look in his eyes gripped the Shinmei-ryuu heir like a vice, the young woman finding her attention hanging on his every word, "And once you realize that, you start learning how to fight back at the world's level…you change, leaving behind who you once were…and become someone else…become…some_**thing**_ else."

"…what is it," Motoko asked in a whisper that only Keitaro could hear, "what do you become?"

Keitaro looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back into Motoko's steel grey eyes, the haunted expression in his own gone and replaced with light-heartedness, "That…is something I hope you never have to find out."

The swordswoman blanched, giving the landlord an opening to conclude the fight, "Well…you've shown me that you're pretty capable in a fight…I think you'll make the perfect test subject for this next move."

His declaration brought Motoko out of her confused state, "Test subject? Next move?"

"That's right," Keitaro lifted his bokken into the ready position in front of him, with his left foot out before his right, "This was the secret technique of someone that was very dear to me. I spent a good while trying to get it down, and I think I finally have it."

On the sidelines, Haruka's eyes went wide in shock as she recognized the stance her nephew had assumed, "No way….kid, you didn't…"

"What's wrong, Haruka?" Suu asked curiously, somewhat surprised at the stoic woman's break in character. Kitsune and Naru also looked over for an answer. Haruka just smiled, but there was sadness mixed into it, "…you girls are in for one hell of a show…if he can make this work."

Seeing his stance, Motoko brought up her bokken and prepared to counter, "Whatever it is you may be attempting, I won't just take it lying down."

Keitaro smirked as his body was enveloped in orange ki, "I was hoping you'd say that. This one's gonna come at ya fast," The ki around him began to glow brighter, forcing the others on the mainland to shield their eyes a bit, "My style doesn't have a name anymore…but this move…could be considered the first part of my school's most powerful technique. **Namae ga nai Ougi (No Name Secret Technique)…**"

The ki around him suddenly compressed itself onto Keitaro's body, surrounding him in a bright orange outline. He smirked as he called out its name, "**...Shinonome (Dawn).**"

In an instant, the space between him and Motoko was filled with what appeared to be copies of himself, all outlined with an orange ki, but unlike the real one, they appeared to be fainter. Before Motoko could pick her jaw up from the ground and mount a defense, the copies blurred and rushed forward. The swordswoman barely blocked the first couple of strikes, but she was soon overwhelmed as slashes struck her chest, legs, arms, and abdomen in rapid fire. Each blow felt like the sting of an angry sunburn, the pain beginning to mount higher and higher.

'_I…I-Impossible…'_ she thought as the onslaught continued, _'…he's stronger than I am…he's almost as strong as…'_

Before she blanked out, the blows ceased as quickly as they started, with Keitaro on one knee behind her, panting lightly.

"…guess…I don't really…have the hang of it completely," he wheezed before tempering his breathing. He then tapped the ground once with the tip of his bokken. As if it were a signal, Motoko's body went completely limp, and she began to collapse backwards. Before she hit the ground, Keitaro caught her carefully in his arms. Looking down into her face, he smiled at the battered and slightly bruised young woman, "I tried to hold back as much as I could with that strike…it's not really one meant to be used in a spar, but you took it like a champ."

Motoko was in the process of passing out, when she caught his last words before entering the bliss of unconsciousness.

"…still such a rookie, Mo-chan."

* * *

><p>'<em>Hah, you're such a rookie sometimes, Mo-chan!'<em>

'…_Kyoshiro…sempai…'_

* * *

><p>"Hey! Hey! I think she's waking up!"<p>

"Calm down, Suu! You're gonna make her condition worse if you keep yelling!"

"N-N-Naru-sempai, y-you're yelling too…"

"Oops! Sorry, Shinobu-chan."

"Here I thought you got all that yellin outta ya when ya chewed out Taro-chan last night…"

"Shut UP Kitsune!"

Motoko blearily opened her eyes to see the faces of the other Hinata-sou residents looking down at her with relief and slight concern. Blinking to lessen the glare of the light in the room, she asked wearily, "Where…am I? What happened?"

"Taro-chan happened, sugah," Kitsune answered softly, all elements of teasing in her voice gone, "Y'all had the most excitin match any of us ever saw…and then Taro-baka went a lil overboard with his last move."

"Last…move…" the recovering swordswoman closed her eyes and tried to remember the last moments of the match. Instantly, she recalled Keitaro's final technique, the one that instantly spelt her defeat.

"…_Shinonome…"_ she whispered in slight awe. Never in her life had she known such a move existed. There was nothing like it in the technique library of the Shinmei-ryuu, and she was sure the Urashima clan techniques had no such move either. "I wonder…"

"I gave the knucklehead a good tongue-lashing for being such a jerk, so don't you worry!" Naru said as she grinned at her fellow housemate, "You were really cool in that fight though. Talk about badass!"

"Motoko's awesome!" Suu exclaimed, jumping around despite Kitsune and Shinobu trying to calm her down, "Keitaro was awesome too! Suu wants to see another match!"

The injured swordswoman sat up slowly from her futon and chuckled, shaking her head in the negative, "I don't think that will happen for quite some time Suu. I realized from that duel, Urashima-san is far stronger than I am. He's not too far from being on par with the masters at my own school." _'He could be close to a match for Ane-ue…'_

Suu deflated and frowned, Shinobu patting the girl on the back to console her as she whined about not seeing a repeat of the "Fight of the Century." As she continued to converse with Naru and Kitsune, Motoko reflected again on Keitaro's final words to her before she lost consciousness.

'_still such a rookie, Mo-chan.'_

Only one other person had called her Mo-chan before, and she was positive that Kyoshiro and Keitaro had never met. At least, that was what she'd thought before. Once again, the ghostly image of her dearly departed sempai's face superimposed itself again over Keitaro's visage. However, instead of pain, Motoko felt something else. It wasn't a bad feeling, far from it, but it felt like the beginnings of something. She sighed to herself, glancing out the window at the blue sky, the sun already high above.

'_I may still be a rookie…but I will get stronger. In the meantime…I believe I'll try to figure out just what kind of man you really are, Urashima-san.'_

* * *

><p>"So…that move really fucked you up in the end, huh?"<p>

"Not now Haru," Keitaro grumbled out as he held his arm out in front of him, wisps of orange ki seeping out from his palm before evaporating into tiny grains of energy. The two were back in the new landlord's bedroom, where the swordsman had seated himself on his futon and promptly began expelling the backed up ki left over from his last attack. Haruka had opted to lean against the doorframe and watch the painful process, all the while chiding the young man for his rather reckless gambit.

"You do realize that you already had the match in the bag and didn't need to use _that_ attack of all things, right?" the tea shop owner took a slow drag from her cancer stick, her eyes gazing at her nephew with a playful glint, "I'm pretty sure Kazuya-jii never used **Shinonome **in a practice match like that for the same reason you're stuck here trying not to cry like a baby."

"It's not that agonizing," Keitaro retorted, still gripping his arm tightly as he continued his labor, "and I thought I'd had enough control to hold back the energy that normally goes to the blade. Which I did…I just forgot about this part."

The older woman sighed and walked over to the small table near the window, where she picked up an ice pack. Kneeling next to her nephew, she gently applied the ice pack to his arm, holding it in place until he finished ridding the limb of the energy, "Thanks Haru."

"You're welcome," she released the pack and sat back on her heels, "For the record, stupid move aside…I think Kazuya-jii woulda been proud of you today, kid."

"…It almost felt like he was right there with me," the young swordsman replied wistfully, his eyes turned to his father's katana, reverently placed on a sword rack on the top shelf built into the wall perpendicular to the door. The Mononobe heir could almost swear he felt a familiar warmth emanate from _Ginōkami_ as he recalled the 'sparring' match with Motoko, "he always did tell me he'd show me the ropes with our clan's ultimate technique…I remember him demonstrating it to me and someone else when I was a kid, but I forget who the other person was."

Haruka smiled, "Well, either way, seeing you pull it off was hilarious…even if you did fuck it up trying to hold back against Motoko."

"Hey, it was either that or seriously hurt her," Keitaro complained as he watched Haruka get to her feet and prepare to leave the room, "Like ya said, it's not something you really use in a spar, but she got me all fired up and I got lost in the moment."

"Just don't make a habit of going overboard…she's not as tough as you yet," she said before exiting the room and shutting the door. Keitaro lay back onto the futon and used his ki-sensing ability to monitor his 'aunt' until she was well away from the room, before taking out his worn Tachibana Pillar journal from under his pillow. Holding it above his head, the swordsman opened it up and looked at the page where he'd pasted the newest information from Kimiko.

'…_to think I could've been free if I threw that spar to Mo-chan,'_ he thought as he re-read the names of all the family members belonging to the Fifth Pillar. The avenger's gaze narrowed as he saw the name of the family head, Minato Tachibana.

'_If I remember right, he's responsible for the Tachibana clan's weapons manufacturing and inventory…and he was one of the bastards that was there that night.'_

Unlike the other pillars that he'd gone after, Minato's family was comprised of powerful assassins and warriors in their own right. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park like the others were.

Setting down the journal, he got up from his futon and left for the bathroom. After washing his face, he took a glance at himself in the mirror. For the moment, he wasn't using his ki to keep his hair brown, so it had turned back to its original raven coloring. He removed his shirt and stared at the angry red scar over his heart, the physical embodiment of his life's mission. The time he'd spent so far at Hinata-sou had been mostly pleasant so far, and meeting the other girls was an experience in and of itself, but the swordsman knew that the peace he felt was only temporary. Taking one last glance at the scar, and remembering his promise to his deceased family, Keitaro placed his shirt back on and walked resolutely to his room.

It was almost time to get back to work.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note - <strong>Well...hot damn.

First off, HAPPY 2015! I was trying to have this chapter done for everyone by Christmas, but life once again intervenes in its strange, mysterious, and slightly inconvenient ways, but I'm glad I was able to give you guys this as a New Year's treat. Little confession: this is the first time I've ever done a battle scene, so if it's a little rough or lacking, please let me know. And also, forgive me for not saying this before, but I'm totally open to questions, whether they be in reviews, or a PM. So do feel free.

So here you see a bit more development of the relationship between Motoko and Keitaro/Kyoshiro. She's starting to have her suspicions, but so far they're based of only circumstantial evidence. Nevertheless, interest has been piqued and you can bet that'll spell trouble down the road for our avenger. And as much as he's enjoyed the peace, it'll be time for him to continue his Tenchuu with a new target. Next chapter we see the re-introduction to the Tachibana. Lets see how 4 years has changed them.

Til next time people.

Ciph signin out


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